The Big Ten is never easy, and Maryland men’s basketball has and will continue to endure the unrelenting difficulties of the conference. In their last 10 regular season games, the Terps will go through a gauntlet of No. 4 Purdue, No. 13 Michigan State (twice) and No. 16 Ohio State (twice), in addition to Iowa and Indiana which are just outside the top 25 and have enjoyed success against Maryland.
And if the Terps’ last game against Indiana is any indication, they are in trouble.
After winning the last two games against Illinois and Rutgers, Maryland was playing some of their best basketball all year. Donta Scott had become a consistent scorer, and the backcourt of Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell didn’t seem like they could miss any of their shots, even if they wanted to.
Maryland was indeed flying high, but at home against Indiana, with over 15,000 fans in attendance dressed in white, the team plummeted hard.
This was accompanied by the worst shooting performance of the team’s season, shooting only 28% from the floor for the game.
“These were pretty good shots, to be honest with you,” interim head coach Danny Manning said. “We just have to do a better job at making them.”
Donta Scott, who had gone ten straight games scoring points in double digits, has now gone two straight games without scoring more than seven. Eric Ayala, one of the team’s most consistent scorers, ended the game with six points, his second lowest mark of his season.
Maryland chose a bad time to go cold shooting. Their next four matchups are all against teams who had received votes for the top 25. For a team that’s edging the March Madness bubble, some semblance of consistency is crucial.
However, given the chaotic nature of Maryland’s 2021-22 season, the one overarching theme is that there’s always potential for improved play.
“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Ayala said. “So, just being able to adapt on the fly when things come at us, we just have to adjust.”
More than ever, coach Manning’s philosophy holds true – play from tip to horn.
“As a team – I can speak for the team, that’s all they want to do is try their best,” said Scott. “Just go out there and prep today like how we want to play tomorrow.”
