Terps advance in NCAA tournament, face tough test in next round
Updated: 9:59 AM EDT Mar 17, 2023
The Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team advanced in the NCAA tournament after a hard-fought victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers 67-65, to play the No. 1 overall seed, Alabama Crimson Tide.This will be one of the best teams the Terps have played this season, so they will have to play close to a perfect game to knock off the No. 1 team in the country according to the AP College Basketball Top 25 Poll. Luckily for them, coming out of the Big Ten conference, they have played a high-level competition, including a win over the No. 3 overall Purdue Boilermakers. The No. 8 seeded Terps held off the No. 9 seed Mountaineers in a close back-and-forth game. They were able to hold on to the victory after WVU’s Kedrian Johnson missed a last-second three-pointer that would have won the game.”I am more excited for the kids than I am for me. This group, I talked about it a lot. This group, they’ve come together. They’ve (done) everything I’ve asked them to do. They’ve had a great attitude and unbelievable work ethic. We’ve been down all year at certain points of the game (and) they never turned on each other. They just have a great attitude,” head coach Kevin Willard said in the post-game press conference.Maryland was led by sophomore Julian Reese, who had 17 points and 9 rebounds. Star point guard Jahmir Young struggled in the first half with turnovers but came through with clutch free throws in the end. They will need a better game from him, especially scoring if they hope to beat Alabama. Alabama is having its best season in men’s basketball ever. They set a school record with 29 regular season wins, and for the first time ever, finished as the AP poll’s top team and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They are led by freshman phenom Brandon Miller, who is a top NBA prospect. Miller is averaging 19.6 points per game but is coming off a tough first-round game where he was held scoreless in a 21-point victory. Maryland is 1-2 all-time against the Crimson Tide, with the last game coming in the Terps last NCAA tourney appearance in 2021. They lost in the second round 96-77. Alabama’s head coach Nate Oats was with the team then and this will be his first coaching matchup with Willard.
The Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team advanced in the NCAA tournament after a hard-fought victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers 67-65, to play the No. 1 overall seed, Alabama Crimson Tide.
This will be one of the best teams the Terps have played this season, so they will have to play close to a perfect game to knock off the No. 1 team in the country according to the AP College Basketball Top 25 Poll. Luckily for them, coming out of the Big Ten conference, they have played a high-level competition, including a win over the No. 3 overall Purdue Boilermakers.
The No. 8 seeded Terps held off the No. 9 seed Mountaineers in a close back-and-forth game. They were able to hold on to the victory after WVU’s Kedrian Johnson missed a last-second three-pointer that would have won the game.
“I am more excited for the kids than I am for me. This group, I talked about it a lot. This group, they’ve come together. They’ve (done) everything I’ve asked them to do. They’ve had a great attitude and unbelievable work ethic. We’ve been down all year at certain points of the game (and) they never turned on each other. They just have a great attitude,” head coach Kevin Willard said in the post-game press conference.
Maryland was led by sophomore Julian Reese, who had 17 points and 9 rebounds. Star point guard Jahmir Young struggled in the first half with turnovers but came through with clutch free throws in the end. They will need a better game from him, especially scoring if they hope to beat Alabama.
Alabama is having its best season in men’s basketball ever. They set a school record with 29 regular season wins, and for the first time ever, finished as the AP poll’s top team and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They are led by freshman phenom Brandon Miller, who is a top NBA prospect. Miller is averaging 19.6 points per game but is coming off a tough first-round game where he was held scoreless in a 21-point victory.
Maryland is 1-2 all-time against the Crimson Tide, with the last game coming in the Terps last NCAA tourney appearance in 2021. They lost in the second round 96-77. Alabama’s head coach Nate Oats was with the team then and this will be his first coaching matchup with Willard.
