Maryland men’s basketball’s only Big Ten win of the season came against Penn State — a team that currently sits at 10-14. Minnesota also sits below .500, but it was riding the high of one of its most electric
wins in recent program history: a 76-73 victory over No. 10 Michigan State.
But the Terps didn’t let that high last long, capturing their second Big Ten win of the campaign, 67-62.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s action.
Some high-level shotmaking
Where to start? In the first half, Minnesota went 8-of-16 from 3-point range. Sophomore guard Isaac Asuma, who entered the match shooting 29.5% from deep, netted his first four attempts from beyond the arc.
It should be noted that not all of his attempts were clean pick-and-pops, either. A few were off-balance, heavily contested isolation buckets — and a couple came at opportune moments when the Gophers were down early.
Minnesota’s typically slow-developing offense worked in its favor. The Gophers consistently used off-ball screens to their advantage, freeing their guards and wings at the top of the key for open shots. Minnesota’s patience on its sets opened up sudden change-of-pace cutting and driving opportunities, catching Maryland’s defense flat-footed and out of rotation.
The first half arguably served as Maryland’s best of the season thus far — and it still found itself down at the break.
Andre Mills has been on a tear recently. He appointed himself as the team’s aggressor early, spinning and knifing his way through the teeth of the defense for some acrobatic layups. He also knocked down a three on the afternoon.
For much of the Big Ten slate, Maryland has lulled itself into stagnant, lifeless possessions. It has far too often relied on isolation scoring and last-ditch heaves. What made Sunday’s contest so refreshing was the Terps’ skilled individual scoring efforts working in tandem with stellar ball movement.
Solomon Washington and Diggy Coit hit fadeaways, stepbacks, pull-up midranges and and-ones galore, but the simple pick-and-rolls and cuts to the hoop were what kept the offense flowing, exciting and in a close contest.
Maryland’s defense made Minnesota’s offense look good
Yes, Minnesota executed a well-oiled offensive gameplan. But for as good as the Terps’ offense looked Sunday, it also had some shortcomings on the other end.
The Gophers ended with 14 3-point makes, good for their second-highest output of the season. The Terps don’t allow that if they play better defense; they simply failed to combat Minnesota’s bread-and-butter from the perimeter.
It was effectively two players decimating Maryland early Sunday — Asuma and Bobby Durkin. Neither they nor the rest of the Gophers center their offense around paint buckets. Yet, Maryland often shaded a second defender on the weak side near the restricted area for a trap. With Minnesota’s rapid perimeter skip passing, open shooters had free rein to let loose. The Gophers ended the game with 33 3-point attempts.
Minnesota’s rebounding ability did pose a threat — it pulled down nine offensive boards. But it didn’t make its money near the hoop all game, racking up a mere 10 paint points on the afternoon. That begged the question as to the necessity and effectiveness of head coach Buzz Williams’ defensive plan — at least for much of the match.
The Terps also didn’t take advantage of Minnesota’s poor free throw shooting, sending the Gophers to the line for just 14 attempts.
Big Ten crunch time victory
All the strategies and plans that had transpired over the course of Sunday’s contest sort of went out the window in the final minutes. It was new territory for Maryland, too, who had yet to play in a close conference ending.
First, Maryland’s help defense in the paint ultimately paid dividends. With just over 1:30 remaining, Langston Reynolds found himself hounded in the restricted area. Multiple players were open on the arc, but the Terps’ hands and activity deflected the pass.
The turnover gave Coit the ball in transition. On the previous possession, he had pounded the ball into the hardwood before taking a deep 3-pointer that missed its mark. It was a desertion of the Terps’ ball movement and pace that had been working so well all game.
Coit didn’t make the same mistake twice, bull-rushing the hoop before Minnesota’s defender could get situated. The game was tied, but Coit’s heroics didn’t stop there.
Forget the pick-and-rolls, nifty sets and cuts. Sometimes, the best player simply needs to win the game for a team, and that’s the case at every level of play. It’s why isolation scoring and shot creation matters so much to NBA scouts and coaches alike.
Once again, Coit proved to the Terps’ faithful why he’s the embodiment of that trait for his team. He sank a James Harden-like stepback — one Maryland fans have grown accustomed to over the season — to deliver the conference win in the final minute.
There had previously been question marks surrounding the Terps’ late-game execution and go-to scorer down the stretch, namely against Oregon and USC. Coit has been inconsistent at times. But he’s also been the Terp that has delivered most in crunch time this season, and he deserves his flowers.
