The nadir of the season for Maryland came in a loss at Northwestern on Jan. 16. The defeat dropped the Terrapins to 0-4 in road games in the Big Ten and refueled criticism of coach Kevin Willard that his teams shrink in hostile arenas.
Nearly two months later, Maryland (23-7, 13-6) has solved its road woes, has bolted up to No. 13 in the AP poll, and is in position to gain a double-bye in the conference tournament with a win over Northwestern (16-14, 7-12) on Saturday afternoon in College Park, Md.
The Terrapins have improved with a cohesive starting unit dubbed the “Crab Five,” and with new-found poise on the road, winning five of their last six games away from home.
One of their best road wins came Wednesday as Derik Queen posted 17 points and 12 rebounds in a 71-65 victory over No. 17 Michigan.
“More than anything, I’m just so proud of that group of guys because it could have been easy to let all the negativity, let all that talk, deter them,” Willard said.
The Terrapins’ progression has mirrored that of Queen, a 6-foot-10 freshman who is projected as a lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft.
As Maryland has won six of its last seven, Queen has been a consistent force, averaging 19.1 points and 12 rebounds per game. Using his smooth handle to drive and dish inside, instead of settling for jumpers, Queen has discovered how best to impact games.
“He has better ball-handling skills than most guards,” Willard said. “He’s like a 15-year vet in the fact that he knows and understands the game.”
Selton Miguel also has risen for Maryland during its recent 6-1 run, hitting 20 of 44 attempts from 3-point range (45.4 percent) and scoring 17 points in five of the wins.
Northwestern, meanwhile, has won three of its last four games but could have several more victories with better finishes, as none of the team’s last nine losses has come by more than 10 points.
Another example came Monday in a 73-69 setback to UCLA. Ty Berry had 22 points and seven rebounds while Nick Martinelli added 20 points and six boards to lead the Wildcats.
This is a different Northwestern team from the one that toppled Maryland in overtime, 76-74, on Jan. 16 as Martinelli hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer.
Since then, two of the Wildcats’ top scorers — Brooks Barnhizer (foot) and Jalen Leach (knee) — have been lost for the season because of injuries.
Given the manpower issues, the Wildcats have played remarkably well.
“Our guys are fighters,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “We haven’t been able to win a lot of the close games, but we’re also showing up every night. We’re competing, which to me is a positive, especially being undermanned.”
Northwestern has won the last three meetings with Maryland but trails in the series 12-7.
The Terrapins will honor their seniors on Saturday.
“Saturday for me is going to be about Julian Reese,” Willard said of the senior who averages 13.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. “He’s a rarity in college basketball. He stayed four years. Had a coaching change, stayed with me. We had a tough year last year, (but) he stayed with me. He’s a true Maryland guy.”
–Field Level Media
