No. 3 Maryland figures to get a high seed when the field for the NCAA Tournament is unveiled Sunday night. But those hopes could take a slight fall if the Terps (10-3) drop the regular-season finale to Colgate (3-9) on Saturday.
Still, Maryland coach Dave Cottle said he had no regrets about scheduling a game against the Red Raiders rather than taking a week off.
"No, I'd rather play," Cottle said. "It's a great opportunity for us to keep playing and keep improving. No one's yet figured out how to take two weeks off and still keep playing well. So this just keeps us going. This gives us an opportunity to play on Long Island, and we have some guys from Long Island on our team. So they get to play in front of their houses and their parents and their friends. So I think it's a tremendous opportunity, and our kids are looking forward to it."
Colgate's season is over after Saturday, but the things might have been different had the team reversed the trend on five one-goal losses – three of which were decided in overtime. Which is why the Terps are taking the Red Raiders seriously.
"That's a team that went to the NCAA Tournament two years in a row," Cottle said. "You can't be afraid to play games. As you know, we're playing a lot of younger guys, and it's another opportunity for us to play our guys and to get better. I think the kids are looking forward to playing."