Maryland men’s basketball’s upset bid falls short in 78-72 Senior Day loss to No. 11 Illinois
Maryland men’s basketball gave Xfinity Center a show worth watching Sunday.
With 40 seconds left, Diggy Coit had an open 3-pointer squared up down four points to No. 11 Illinois. He nailed it — but head coach Buzz Williams had already called timeout, and the whistle had blown the play dead.
After the players retook the court, Andre Mills hoisted a heavily-covered triple as the shot clock was about to expire. But it clanged off the front rim, and Illinois secured the rebound.
Enough free throw makes from the Illini ultimately sealed the contest, as Maryland was taken down in the final seconds, 78-72, falling just short of a shocking upset to close out the regular season.
In a season chock-full of disappointments — Maryland still lost 20 games, its most since the 1988-89 season — Sunday’s matinee gave the faithful fans some optimism for the future.
“All of this is somewhat emotional for every player 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,” Williams said. “And so you want to honor their experience. You want to honor their heart, honor their life.”
Maryland’s four Senior Day representatives filled the starting lineup Sunday, but it was the redshirt freshman Mills who kickstarted the Terps’ offense.
The guard typically dazzles with rim-running antics, but his early display against Illinois came in the form of top-notch jump shooting. Mills’ second bucket was a nifty step-back 3-pointer in isolation against Keaton Wagler, who’s a virtual lock for Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Despite being tasked with Illini’s towering forwards — namely David Mirković and Tomislav Ivišić — Collin Metcalf and Solomon Washington scraped together multiple extra offensive possessions. On a sequence five minutes into the action, Maryland dragged down three consecutive offensive boards, ultimately leading to a Washington 3-pointer.
“We limited [Illinois’] volume somewhat in our plan,” Williams said. “Our contests were much better, and we did a better job on the offensive glass.”
Illinois’ lofty ranking was vindicated in its offensive proficiency and ball movement. Pick-and-rolls that paved the way for paint dishes and layups were a staple of the team’s attack, and Mirković tallied a quick eight points in the opening 10 minutes.
“I think offensively, [Illinois] does an unbelievable job of hunting the advantage, whatever they deem to be their best versus your worst,” Williams said.
But, unexpectedly, Maryland matched the Illini output. The Terps shot 13-of-25 from the field in the first half, with a steady diet of drives and 3-pointers alike. In fact, neither team’s lead grew larger than five points all half.
The one tangible issue Maryland dealt with in the first half was persistent turnovers. It logged seven in the opening frame, and Illinois turned the giveaways into 12 points of its own. The Illini’s bigs were not shy to run the length of the parquet, either, throwing down alley-oop slams on the fast break.
Mills’ offensive repertoire was showcased in the final five minutes of the half; he sank a jumper, earned a trip to the free throw line and completed a physical layup. Mills led all Maryland players with 11 points at halftime — no other Terp had more than five.
Illinois entered the locker room at half with a 37-34 lead.
But Maryland didn’t let the score slip away, as Mills and Coit drilled two consecutive shots from beyond the arc to open the second period. For the Illini, Wagler finally got himself on the scoreboard with an and-one.
Maryland’s staunch defensive prowess didn’t carry over quite as well into the second half. They were far more lenient in allowing drives, and the team committed five personal fouls just six minutes into the frame.
“We just have to defend without fouling, particularly any team, but particularly a team that’s as potent offensively as they are,” Williams said.
Darius Adams, who had been largely absent from the action, sank two corner 3-pointers in a span of just over a minute. On both occasions, he whittled away an Illinois six-point advantage to keep the margins tight.
Washington was assessed a flagrant foul for his kick on a 3-point attempt. A lengthy review took some of the pent-up energy that had built up in the arena. But Mills revitalized the crowd quickly, storming his way to the cup for an and-one opportunity.
But the momentum only grew.
Mills parlayed his bucket into a rapid steal, finding Isaiah Watts, the rarely-featured guard, for an and-one of his own. Watts tied the contest at the line, and suddenly, Xfinity Center was as loud as it had been all year.
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood’s opportune timeout settled things for his team, who were able to forge a six-point lead after the stoppage.
But this time, the run couldn’t be overcome. Despite the valiant effort, Maryland was toppled in the high-stakes thriller.
Three things to know
1. No charity stripe action. In the first half, Maryland shot just five free throws, and three came from a foul on a Mills 3-pointer. The Terps took 10 free throws in the second half, but it was nowhere near the Illini’s 21 attempts in the same span.
2. Shutting down Wagler. The presumptive first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft was held scoreless in the first half, and he finished with just 11 points on the afternoon. Mills’ efforts were instrumental in holding the freshman to 3-of-10 shooting. Wagler also registered two turnovers and didn’t hit any of his long-range 3-point shots that have caught the attention of pro scouts.
3. Adams willed the squad. There was only one player who consistently halted Illinois’ momentum in the second half. Adams hit two 3-pointers and a midrange bucket — all three makes ended Illini scoring runs.
After being largely shut down in recent second halves, Adams proved his worth Sunday, playing 16 second-half minutes. He finished with 14 points — his most over the past 10 games.
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