No. 6-seed Maryland men’s basketball falls to No. 3-seed Indiana in Big Ten quarterfinal, 70-60

CHICAGO — With simply over 12 minutes to go in No. 6-seed Maryland males’s basketball’s quarterfinal matchup with No. 3-seed Indiana and the sport tied at 43, Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino tried a shot on the rim. It missed, however not earlier than Julian Reese was whistled for a foul — his fourth of the sport, forcing him to sit down on the bench.

Indiana rattled off an 11-0 run following Reese’s fourth foul, with Reese out of the sport for many of it.

Reese re-entered lower than two minutes later, however the harm was executed. Indiana had constructed a double-digit lead with lower than 10 minutes to go, one Maryland might by no means get better from. Maryland in the end fell to Indiana, 70-60, within the quarterfinals of the Large Ten Event Friday evening.

The officiating performed an enormous function, however Maryland’s stars, significantly Jahmir Younger, didn’t do sufficient for Maryland to beat questionable officiating. Younger completed with 12 factors however was 3-for-15 from the sector. Hakim Hart led Maryland with 16 factors whereas Donta Scott and Don Carey chipped in 10 and 11, respectively.

“Jahmir has had an outstanding yr. He’s performed terrific. We’ve requested him to do loads,” Maryland head coach Kevin Willard stated. “He did one of the best he can towards their measurement.”

Indiana superior to the semifinals to tackle No. 10-seed Penn State. Maryland has actually executed sufficient to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Event however will now await its destiny till its official seeding and matchup is introduced Sunday.

Maryland’s begin mirrored a lot of its begins on the street this season: it struggled to attain and located itself dealing with an early deficit. Though the sport will go within the books as a neutral-site recreation, it was basically a street recreation for the Terps. A sea of pink packed the stands — and never the type of pink Maryland followers are accustomed to seeing on the XFINITY Middle. It was the type of pink that fills the seats at Meeting Corridor in Bloomington, Indiana, simply over 200 miles south of the United Middle.

“I suppose you could possibly say that was a real street recreation,” Scott stated. “They type of had home-court benefit.”

By the point the primary media timeout rolled round, Maryland trailed by six, making simply two of its first seven photographs. As Maryland settled in to a wildly reverse surroundings from Thursday evening’s win over Minnesota, the place the stands had been largely empty and the world largely silent, the Terps discovered their rhythm offensively.

After beginning 1-for-4 from three, Maryland drilled its subsequent two makes an attempt, courtesy of Hart and Carey. Carey’s three midway by the primary half gave Maryland its first lead of the sport, 18-17.

Whereas Maryland’s offense caught hearth, the Terps’ protection allowed them to construct on their lead. Maryland held Indiana with no level for 5 minutes, resulting in a 11-0 run. A seven-point Maryland lead pressured Indiana head coach Mike Woodson to name a timeout with simply over eight minutes to go within the first half.

When Maryland beat Indiana again on Jan. 31, it did so whereas taking pictures 23% from three. Maryland sat towards the underside of the Large Ten in 3-point taking pictures all season, however that by no means deterred the Terps from letting it fly from distance.

At one level in February, Willard stated he most likely ought to inform his guys to cease taking pictures so many threes, however he doesn’t, he stated. As a substitute he encourages them to maintain taking pictures, even after they aren’t falling.

On Friday evening, Maryland wasn’t shy about taking pictures threes, and it was lights out within the first half, making six of its first 10, however that didn’t final.

Indiana’s identification is totally completely different. The Hoosiers’ goal to pound it inside and infrequently look to try threes. Though it ranks third within the Large Ten in 3-point subject objective proportion, Indiana makes an attempt the second fewest 3-pointers per recreation within the convention.

Indiana by no means shied away from its bread and butter when it discovered itself in a gap. The Hoosiers continued to pound it inside, which allowed them to storm again and reduce Maryland’s result in two on the halftime break. Indiana had twice as many factors within the paint as Maryland within the first half, however tried simply three 3-pointers in comparison with Maryland’s 13.

Inside the first minute of the second half, Reese picked up his third foul of the sport, however Willard elected to maintain him within the recreation. Reese served as the first defender on Indiana celebrity Trayce Jackson-Davis, and continued to take action aggressively regardless of the foul hassle.

Maryland exploded on a 7-0 run a couple of minutes into the second half, however that didn’t come with out an Indiana response. Indiana ripped off a run of its personal to tie the sport at 43, igniting a raucous pro-Indiana crowd.

A small run turn out to be a prolonged one when Reese picked up his fourth foul. Patrick Emilien got here in to alleviate Reese however Emilien picked up two fouls in beneath two minutes. Emilien fouled out later within the recreation whereas Reese completed the sport with 4 fouls, 5 factors in 25 minutes of motion.

“I had lots of confidence in the truth that Pat might choose up these minutes, however you’ve bought to offer Trayce lots of credit score. I believed he was phenomenal,” Willard stated.

With all the pieces going mistaken for the Terps — a crowd towards it and a questionable officiating crew — Maryland didn’t give up. Maryland stormed again to chop the result in six, however for each punch it threw, Indiana had a counter.

Maryland wanted a cease with two minutes to go trailing by six however Hood-Schifino, who had simply three factors the primary time Maryland and Indiana met in School Park, nailed a dagger three to seal Maryland’s destiny. It was his first three of the sport and simply Indiana’s fourth.

Maryland’s Large Ten Event title hopes got here to an finish, however its season is much from over. It now turns its consideration to the NCAA Event, the place something is feasible.

Three issues to know

1. It was a recreation of threes vs. twos. The sport got here right down to one of the primary arguments in basketball at the moment: twos vs. threes. Maryland tried 24 threes and made 9 of them, whereas Indiana tried 10 threes and made 4 of them. After Maryland made six of its first 10 makes an attempt, it made simply three of its subsequent 14.

“They had been good photographs, we simply didn’t make it,” Hart stated.

2. It was a poorly officiated recreation. The refs had zero management of Friday evening’s contest, regardless of Willard taking the excessive street following the sport by saying the officiating was “superb.” There have been a complete of 32 fouls referred to as, a lot of which had been questionable. Emilien fouled out for Maryland, whereas Reese’s foul hassle hampered Maryland within the second half. For Indiana, each Race Thompson and Trey Galloway had 4 fouls.

3. What’s subsequent? Maryland now awaits its NCAA Event seed and opponent, which will likely be introduced Sunday night. Most bracket projections presently have Maryland projected as an eight seed. That’s seemingly not going to alter with this loss to Indiana.

“I really like my staff,” Willard stated. “I’m not refocusing something. I’m celebrating [our season] and we’re gonna have a giant get together on Sunday.”