Maryland basketball will lean on its biggest strength against Alabama: toughness

Before Darryl Morsell took his second free throw with about two minutes remaining in Saturday’s win, the Maryland senior turned away from the rim, looked at his teammates on the court and clapped his hands.

UConn had cut what had been a double-digit Terrapins lead to five points about a minute earlier, but Morsell wanted to calm things back down. He remembered how earlier in the season, games well in hand could unravel quickly for Maryland. Morsell didn’t want a similar outcome in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

So he knocked down his second shot, and the Terrapins held on against the Huskies. That late effort to rebuff UConn showed Morsell the progress Maryland has made over the last six weeks, going from a 4-9 conference record to one of the few Big Ten teams still standing in March Madness.

The improvement the No. 10-seeded Terrapins have shown down the stretch to get here hasn’t been on the offensive end. Defense is the team’s main calling card. But a self-described toughness plays a big role, too, fueling a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with a game against No. 2-seeded Alabama on Monday night.

“Early in the season, I don’t think that had to be our motto,” Maryland guard Aaron Wiggins said. “I don’t think we initially intended on having to be that scrappy, defensive-minded team. But throughout the season, you’ve got to make adjustments, and that’s just one thing that we’ve had to emphasize. … That’s what got us to where we are today.”

Maryland meets a fast-paced Crimson Tide squad that coach Mark Turgeon said could be the “fifth No. 1 seed,” if such a position existed. They also hold the second-best adjusted defensive efficiency rate in the country, according to Bart Torvik’s analytics.

The Terrapins have made strides in that area since February. Torvik rates Maryland’s defense as the 23rd best in the country. Turgeon said he sees the offensive improvement, too, to go along with that facet of the game. Beyond that, though, the coach noted how the toughness in the squad allowed them to overcome a poor start to the conference schedule.

“We know that’s something we have to be in order to be successful,” Morsell said. “We just try to embody that every day in practice. Coach Turgeon, other coaches, often harp on it throughout practice. We implement it in drills and stuff to work on it. But we know that’s who we have to be.”

That could particularly be the case in March Madness, when even the best teams have appeared rattled at times. For as strong as the Big Ten was in the regular season, the conference has underperformed so far in the tournament.

No. 1 Illinois became the first top-seeded squad to depart when No. 8 Loyola Chicago pulled the upset on Sunday. No. 9 Wisconsin lost in the second round Sunday to No. 1 Baylor. No. 15 Oral Roberts knocked off No. 2 Ohio State in the first round Friday, and No. 4 Purdue was also sent home early after losing to No. 13 North Texas on Friday. That cleared the field of much of the Big Ten contingent, though No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Iowa remain in contention, with matchups Monday. Elsewhere, No. 14 Abilene Christian stunned No. 3 Texas and No. 13 Ohio dropped No. 4 Virginia on Saturday. On Sunday, No. 11 Syracuse knocked off No. 3 West Virginia. 

Perhaps those upsets can give heart to Maryland, a team few at one point thought would find its way into the tournament.

Turgeon said his team will need a more robust offensive effort Monday night against a team of Alabama’s caliber, with potentially four scorers reaching double figures. He can take heart from Saturday’s performance, when Wiggins and Eric Ayala combined for 37 points with seven 3-pointers between them.

But as Maryland looks for another upset to advance in the NCAA tournament, a lot goes back to the same mentality that got the team to this point — a toughness that can break through the difficult circumstances.

“It’s the only chance we have,” Turgeon said. “Our talent level’s not where it’s been, but our toughness is at an all-time high.”