The Maryland men’s basketball team dropped from No. 13 to No. 20 in the Associated Press top-25 poll following losses against Wisconsin and Tennessee … and the Terps have another tough test looming.
Maryland fell at No. 22 Wisconsin, 64-59, on Dec. 6 in its first Big Ten road game of the season. Senior guard Jahmir Young led the way with 17 points, but rough shooting nights from program veterans Donta Scott (3-for-14) and Hakim Hart (2-for-10) did not help the Terps’ cause.
Maryland lost to No. 6 Tennessee, 56-53, in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Dec. 11. The Terps fell behind by as many as 21 in the first half and were behind, 34-17, at halftime. However, Maryland went on a 12-0 run to get back in the game and nearly made it all the way back. Young led the team with 18 points.
Between the two games, Maryland shot 40-for-121 from the field and 12-for-48 from 3-point range. That helped the Terps drop to 8-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten.
“I think these guys have shown that they’re a tough group,” head coach Kevin Willard said after the Tennessee loss. “They’re resilient. They’re an unselfish group. … I’m proud of how they’re playing and where we are and what we’ve gotten to. I just need to get back into the practice gym and be able to practice a little bit.”
Next up for Maryland is No. 16 UCLA at the Xfinity Center on Dec. 14. The Bruins are led by four double-digit scorers in guards Jaime Jaquez Jr. (17.4 points per game), Jaylen Clark (15.1), Tyger Campbell (13.2) and Amari Bailey (10.9).
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox