The Terps fell on a last-second layup.
No. 2-seed Maryland men’s basketball entered Saturday’s semifinals match against No. 3-seed Michigan with its eyes set on the first Big Ten Tournament championship game appearance in program history.
Instead, Michigan’s Tre Donaldson stormed the length of the court and laid the ball in the net with 0.4 seconds on the clock, ending the Terps’ conference tournament run with a dramatic 81-80 loss in Indianapolis.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Maryland was dominated on the glass
The Terps typically don’t lose the rebound battle, and almost never lose it the way they did Saturday.
Maryland entered the day ranked fourth in the conference with 37.3 rebounds per game, with Derik Queen and Julian Reese each nabbing more than nine per contest. Michigan ranked third in the Big Ten, averaging 0.5 more rebounds per game than Maryland, but that difference ballooned to 29 Saturday.
Seven-footers Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin led the way for the Wolverines, corralling 14 and 10 rebounds, respectively. Goldin was denied the ball for much of the first half courtesy of Queen, Reese and Maryland’s occasional zone defense.
But fronting a post player leaves the defense susceptible to offensive rebounds, and Goldin took advantage. He recorded six offensive rebounds, which directly led to multiple of his 25 points. Wolf also grabbed five offensive rebounds, as Michigan posted 18 second-chance points to Maryland’s four.
While the Terps committed 13 fewer turnovers, Michigan regained those possessions on the glass.
Queen was feeling himself
While Goldin and Wolf were impressive, Queen was the best player on the floor Saturday, proving he deserved the coaches’ All-Big Ten first-team nod over Goldin.
As he has done all season, Queen showed up in the Terps’ biggest game to this point. He dropped a career-high 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
He was especially effective when Maryland needed him most. The Terps trailed Michigan by 11 points with 11 minutes remaining; then Queen took over. The freshman drove the ball into the heart of Michigan’s defense for a tough and-1 layup, then maneuvered through multiple paint defenders for a crafty finish before knocking down four free throws to extend Maryland’s lead to three points.
He also scored four of Maryland’s six points in the final minute of the game, including two clutch free throws to take the lead with five seconds remaining. But then Donaldson erased the glory of that moment.
It was not hard to tell Queen knew he had it going early, as he took four 3-pointers in the contest and made two — he was 2 for 24 from beyond the arc this season entering the day.
While Maryland did not advance to the championship game, Queen showed he’s ready for March.
The Terps’ season isn’t over
While a last-second loss to deny Maryland of its first Big Ten Tournament championship game appearance in program history may hurt like a season-ending loss, it isn’t. The Terps still have a lot to play for.
Before tip-off, the Terps were slotted in as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, set to face off against UNC Wilmington in the first round and either Ole Miss or VCU in the second round, according to ESPN’s bracketology. CBS Sports had Maryland in the same spot, with the Terps headed to Providence, Rhode Island, for the first two rounds.
While Saturday’s loss may impact the Terps’ seeding, it’s unlikely they fall past a No. 4 seed. Maryland dominated Illinois Friday, giving the Terps their fifth ranked and eighth Quad 1 win of the season.
Head coach Kevin Willard and his squad will have at least four days to prepare for their first-round matchup and address some of the flaws exposed Saturday.