Maryland Basketball: Big Ten Tournament staff roundtable

7.) Can the Terps win a national title? Will they?

CB: This has been the hot topic all season. Maryland entered the year with a ton of notoriety on a national level. The Terps were tabbed as one of the top teams in the nation and lived up to the billing during the nonconference slate. However, something has went wrong over the last 10 games. I’ve always been of the belief that this group is too talented not to figure it out and become elite. I’ve written columns over the last month saying that the talent is there, which no one can deny. Putting it together has been the issue. One game it could be rebounding and the next it could be Melo Trimble struggling shooting the basketball. Trimble has gotten it together over the past two games, so that’s definitely an encouraging sign. With all that being said, there’s no question that Maryland has the ability to win a national title. Their starting lineup consists of two elite guards, one lethal wing with a ton of length, a power forward that is a matchup nightmare, and a true center that can impose his will in the paint. That’s a phenomenal recipe for success.

Will the Terps win a national championship? I’m going to say no right now. This is a team that hasn’t been able to play consistent basketball over the past 10 games. If something clicked and they started playing team ball and were crowned national champions, I wouldn’t be shocked. With the way they rebound the ball at times, it’s just too glaring of a hole for me to say that they’re championship material.

But hey, Jim Calhoun‘s Huskies did it a few years back. Maybe Trimble can be Kemba Walker reincarnated.

WB: They can, but they probably won’t. Maryland’s season this year has been a roller coaster and the drop keeps getting steeper each game. This team has the ability to pull the track up and ride it all the way to Houston, but they also could fold it up in the first round and be the joke of the season. Maryland basketball has almost always been this way. You never know until you see it happen.

RM: I think Maryland can win a national title but I don’t think they will. Before the season started, Maryland was sure favorites to win the Big Ten and make it to the Final Four. At one point they looked like they were going to live up to the hype. As the season progressed, The Terps went from a No. 2 team in the nation to now a No. 18 team. Right now, I have the Terps losing in the Sweet 16. But anything can happen in the tournament.

JN: Yes, the Terps can win a national title. Will they? Probably not. Will the Terps even make it to the sweet sixteen and second week of the tournament? Honestly, I would not bet anything of value on that coming true. Maryland is a talented team that has yet to find the chemistry to play together for a full forty minutes game in and game out. I say “yet” as the basketball season nears into the last month of play which leads me to believe the time has passed for this team to peak and play up to the level Maryland fans have been wishing and waiting for. Maryland is a talented team, but very inconsistent. I would not be surprised to see the Terps upset in the first round or cutting down the nets in Houston. This team is a wild card, but with their size and talent and year of upsets this college basketball season, anything is possible. I hope the Terrapins come out of their shells (no pun intended) and play at the level we have all been waiting and make a deep run in the tournament.

Next: Terps ride hot start to win over Drexel

JR: Occasionally, the stakes of the post-season will cause teams to refocus. Just one strong win early on can convince a team that they’re destined for greatness. That, unfortunately, is the position I see the Terps in at the moment. If they keep doing what they’ve been doing, they’ll be lucky to survive the round of 32. I’ll give them a puncher’s chance of going the distance since they have the requisite talent, but I don’t think they’ll be flying home with a trophy this year. I hate to be that guy, but I doubt they’ll get past the round of 16.