Terrapin Station
Fansided

Maryland Basketball: Big Ten Tournament staff roundtable

By Chris Bengel

Feb 21, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Rasheed Sulaimon (0) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Rasheed Sulaimon (0) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 8
Next
Mar 6, 2016; Bloomington, IN, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) drives to the basket against Indiana Hoosiers forward Collin Hartman (30) at Assembly Hall. Indiana defeats Maryland 80-62. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2016; Bloomington, IN, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) drives to the basket against Indiana Hoosiers forward Collin Hartman (30) at Assembly Hall. Indiana defeats Maryland 80-62. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

3.) How far does Maryland advance in the Big Ten Tournament?

CB: This is a loaded question. Maryland has underachieved during the second half of Big Ten play. The Terps have lost four of their last six games and struggled to find any type of consistency. However, this is a group that knows what is at stake. Currently, Maryland is probably a No. 4 seed considering their drop to No. 18 in the rankings. A run towards a tournament title could improve their standing with the selection committee. I think that Maryland gets to the semifinals at the very least with a potentially satisfying victory over Wisconsin in the process. If the Terps would’ve rebounded a tad better, they could’ve topped the Spartans back in January. I think they get it done and make it to the championship game. Maybe I believe in this group a little bit too much, but I just don’t see them lying down like many project.

WB: If they have it together, they make it to the final. If they play too soft because they know they’re a lock, they could lose early and badly.

RM: Maryland has all the tools it needs to win the Big Ten Tournament but I don’t see them making the championship. Going into the tournament, the Terps lost four of their last six games. And in their final regular season game against Indiana, Maryland lost 80-62. So I really don’t too much confidence in Maryland making it to the Big Ten Championship. I see them making it past the quarterfinals but losing in the semifinals to a team like Michigan State.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Maryland has the potential to win the championship but it depends on how well their top players perform. If they can limit the turnovers and win the rebounding game.

JN: I think Maryland will advance to the semifinals and lose to the eventual champion Michigan State. Maryland has the most talent in the conference, according to Izzo and I would agree with that statement. Unfortunately, the Terps’ inconsistent play leaves it hard to bet on this team winning the conference tournament. Unless everything magically clicks this week, I see Maryland narrowly winning their quarterfinal contest with the Badgers before losing to the Spartans.

JR: Though this goes against my dark horse pick, I think Maryland wins one game and it’ll be against Wisconsin. This guess is less about pessimism and more about how good Michigan State is. They seem like the inevitable opponent for us if we reach the semi finals. We have some stuff we need to work out before we can win against a team like that, and frankly I don’t think the five days between Indiana and March 11th is enough time to get it together. Maybe the chance to play against the #2 team in the country will rally the Terps in a way we haven’t seen yet this year, but I’m unconvinced that would be enough. Short of someone pulling a Gilchrist, The semis are as far as we go.