Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Rutgers falls while Michigan moves up
439. . 10-9 (2-6). . Terrapins . 11. team
A couple of weeks ago, the Terrapins were able to get in the win column of the Big Ten, beating Northwestern in double-overtime, led by 26 points and 11 rebounds from Eric Ayala, along with 23 points and seven assists from point guard Fatts Russell. Unfortunately, the team suffered a pair of setbacks against Rutgers and Michigan, losing to both by double-digits.
But after dealing with a lot of bad news during the season, the Terrapins benefitted from their next opponent (Illinois) dealing with some issues of their own. All-American big man Kofi Cockburn wasn’t able to play this past Friday, due to suffering a concussion against Purdue earlier in the week.
Although the game was close for the first 25 minutes, Maryland was able to push ahead for the 81-65 victory. Forward Donta Scott broke out with 25 points on 9/12 shooting from the field, along with Qudus Wahab, Fatts Russell, and Hakim Hart each racing double figures. As a team, the Terrapins shot 53% overall and took advantage of not having to deal with Cockburn.
Maryland will look to continue its winning ways this week against Rutgers and Indiana. And considering that both Michigan State and Ohio State follow, they’ll need to get at least one victory soon to avoid another losing streak.