Maryland Terrapins: 24-7, 12-6 in the Big Ten
Head coach: Mark Turgeon (6th season)
Players to watch: Melo Trimble (17.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.7 APG); Justin Jackson (10.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG); Anthony Cowan (10.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.7 APG)
Season recap: Maryland finished the regular season on a high note, taking down Michigan State on a Melo Trimble buzzer-beater to wrap up the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament and bring an end to a roller coaster of a season that was solid but lacked many noteworthy wins. After a 12-1 nonconference finish featuring wins against Oklahoma State and Kansas State with the lone loss to ACC bottom-feeder Pittsburgh, head coach Mark Turgeon’s squad finished conference play 12-6 despite going 4-5 in their last nine regular-season contests.
First-team All-Big Ten point guard Melo Trimble is the main reason Maryland is in the tournament, with the rookie trio of Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter and Justin Jackson comprising most of his supporting cast. With so much youth, inconsistency was the name of the game for the Terrapins this year, and they were upset by Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. But with one of the best guards in the nation guiding Turgeon's team, it still has enough weapons to make some noise in the Big Dance.
How they make a run: Cowan and Huerter play beyond their years, knocking down big shots on the perimeter to support Trimble as Jackson is a force to be reckoned with inside. Maryland makes it to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year and the third time since 2003.
How they falter: Lack of experience catches up with the Terrapins, who are not deep enough to support Trimble’s heroics. The freshmen wither in their first NCAA tournament against stronger competition than they faced in the Big Ten, leading to a first-round exit.
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