Maryland men’s basketball closed out the regular season with a 78-72 loss to No. 11 Illinois on Senior Day on March 8.
The Terrapins honored seniors Diggy Coit, Collin Metcalf, Elijah Saunders and Solomon Washington during Senior Day, marking the final college home game for each player.
“All of this is somewhat emotional for every player,” Maryland head coach Buzz Williams said. “When you get to the last game, whether they’ve spent a long time with you or just a little bit of time with you, you want to honor their experience. You want to honor their heart, honor their life.”
Senior big man Pharrel Payne, who has not played since Dec. 13 due to injury, was not honored during the ceremony. Payne’s future with the program remains undecided, according to Williams. Payne played in just 10 games this season and could pursue a medical redshirt.
“We didn’t honor him for Senior Day not because he’s done anything wrong and not because we’re trying to hide anything,” Williams said. “Anytime there’s anything medical, that can’t come from the coach or the trainer. That all has to be medically driven before the NCAA or any conference can approve anything.”
Although the season did not unfold as hoped, Maryland ended the regular season competing closely with Illinois, the No. 11 team in the country.
“I was really encouraged by the competitive character of our group,” Williams said. “I’m very thankful for the support of the students from beginning to end … at Xfinity.”
Maryland finished the regular season 11-20 overall and 4-16 in Big Ten play, failing to record a win against a ranked opponent and ending with a four-game losing streak.
Redshirt freshman guard Andre Mills led the Terrapins with 30 points. Mills closed the season scoring in double figures in 10 of his final 11 games, including a career-high 39 points in a 78-74 loss to Northwestern on Feb. 21.
Mills appears poised to be a key piece of Williams’ roster heading into next season after his strong finish.
“I think all of our guys in some sort of way have continued to find ways to get better,” Williams said. “I think there’s been somewhat of a crescendo in how Andre played. He’s got to continue to play with a low turnover rate. The more he gets fouled, the more it helps. He’s working at understanding the game more and understanding where the help’s coming from.”
Neither team was able to create much separation in a back-and-forth contest. The game was tied four times in the second half, including at 61 with seven minutes remaining, when Maryland began to struggle offensively.
A two-minute scoring drought allowed Illinois to go on a 7-0 run and build a 70-62 lead with less than five minutes to play — the largest margin of the game.
Maryland responded with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to two. Mills scored his 17th point of the second half to make it 72-70 with one minute remaining.
On the ensuing Illinois possession, Metcalf forced a miss and what appeared to be a turnover after the ball went out of bounds. However, after an Illinois coach’s challenge, the call was overturned.
Illinois freshman forward David Mirković capitalized, extending the lead to 74-70. Mirković finished with 22 points.
“I think that our fight, our execution of the game plan, was probably the best we’ve had all year,” Mills said. “Later down the stretch, that minute, we’ve got to execute what we need to execute.”
Maryland limited potential lottery pick Keaton Wagler to six points on 3 of 10 shooting.
Illinois’ ability to control the paint proved decisive, as the Fighting Illini scored 42 points inside, accounting for 54 percent of their offense.
Maryland now turns its attention to the Big Ten tournament. It will face Oregon in the first round on March 10.
“I just told the kids, when I finish this press conference, we’ll figure it out as a staff and start diagnosing what’s transpired over the last eight weeks with Oregon,” Williams said. “Then we’re going to get together tomorrow and begin to give context to Oregon — their roster and their style of play.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics