COLUMBUS, OHIO — For all the talk about Maryland’s thin bench, the Terps’ aspirations of a deep run in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament will fade quickly if its two best players aren’t on top of their game.
Here are three takeaways from No. 7 Maryland’s 79-72 loss to No. 25 Ohio State on Sunday.
Maryland will (still) go as far as Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith take them.
Maryland’s nine-game winning streak was largely engineered by the play of its two best players: senior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. and sophomore forward Jalen Smith. Cowan’s steady leadership and big shots pushed the Terps past opponent after opponent, and Smith’s streak of nine straight games with a double double coincided with the team’s winning streak.
Through the winning streak, Cowan averaged 17.7 points and 5.4 assists, while Smith posted 18.9 points and 12.7 rebounds. Neither player was at their best in Sunday’s loss to Ohio State.
Cowan got off to a nice start, recording the team’s first five assists, but finished with 10 points on 1-for-4 shooting and three turnovers. Cowan got into foul trouble in the second half and his frustration boiled over at 3:54 mark of the second half, when he hit the floor after a driving layup brought the team within five of the Buckeyes’ lead.
An agitated Cowan jerked his body in protest of the non-call, and his leg extended in the direction of Ohio State forward Kaleb Wesson. After a review, Cowan was assessed a technical foul, his fifth personal, and relegated to the bench for the game’s final four minutes.
It was a rare show of emotion for the typically calm and composed Cowan, but indicative off how difficult of a day it was for the team’s senior leader.
Cowan was not made available to speak to reporters after the game, but coach Mark Turgeon and teammate Eric Ayala defended Cowan, saying his intention was not to kick Wesson and that he was just frustrated with the lack of calls in the game.
For Smith, it was the rare time he was outplayed in his matchup with another Big Ten big man. Smith’s double double streak ended, with him recording just eight points, seven rebounds and four turnovers. Foul trouble limited Smith to 29 minutes, his fewest in over a month.
With Smith out for extended periods, the Terps were outrebounded and struggled to defend the Buckeyes in the paint.
“It was tough for Jalen,” Turgeon said. “I thought he was getting bumped around pretty good in there. Normally he covers up a lot of mistakes for us and he wasn’t able to do that for us today.”
With its stars struggling, Maryland got quality contributions from Ayala (16 points) and Aaron Wiggins (career-high 20 points), but Cowan and Smith’s play in March will determine how far the Terps go in the NCAA tournament.
Foul trouble forced Mark Turgeon to turn to his bench, which had mixed results.
Even before foul trouble forced some of Maryland’s players to the bench, Turgeon looked convinced to give a few of his bench players time on the court. Nine players were on the court in the first half, including freshman guard Hakim Hart, who had not played in over a month. Hart logged five minutes but missed his only shot and committed two fouls.
“Hakim is practicing hard, playing well,” Turgeon said. “I didn’t like his shot that he took off the one-dribble handoff, wasn’t very smart. But we’re just trying to figure out our bench, a little bit more size. Moving forward we’ll see what happens.”
With Smith and freshman forward Donta Scott in foul trouble late in the first half, freshman center Chol Marial spent an extended period as the team’s sole big. He also had the responsibility of defending Kaleb Wesson. Ohio State tried to exploit Marial’s perimeter defense, putting him in a lot of ball-screen action, but Marial held up well.
At one point in the first half, Maryland retook the lead with both Cowan and Smith off the court, and Marial on the floor with Scott, Ayala, Wiggins and junior guard Darryl Morsell.
“Those were by far his best minutes in a high-level game against a high-level player,” Turgeon said.
Maryland’s place in the Big Ten doesn’t change, but the chance to nab a No. 1 seed was missed.
Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, Maryland still holds a two-game lead in the Big Ten standings. The Terps could potentially lock up a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament later this week. But if one were to look further ahead, Sunday’s loss felt like a missed opportunity for seeding purposes.
Four of the top six teams ranked above Maryland in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll lost this past week, and Maryland looked poised to slip into one of the projected top-four seeds in the NCAA tournament. Even after Sunday’s loss, Maryland is projected by ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi to to be a No. 2 seed in the tournament, but in the South Region instead of the East Region.
In this instance, the Terps’ first two games would still be played in Greensboro, North Carolina, but it would affect their game locations in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8, if they were to advance that far. As currently projected, Maryland would advance to play in Houston instead of New York, an obvious advantage in terms of regional placement.
With two weeks left in the regular season and the Big Ten tournament after that, a lot can still change for Maryland.
No. 7 Maryland@Minnesota
Wednesday, 9 p.m.
TV: BTN
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