Sensing the game was going into danger, Kevin Willard, head coach of Maryland men’s basketball, called a timeout with 16-11 remaining. No. 3 Purdue had built up a game-high eight-point lead, and the Terps needed an answer fast.
Willard’s point of contact, graduate guard Jahmir Young, got the team rolling with a bucket to reduce it to six. On the next defensive possession, Maryland was stopped and Purdue forward Mason Gillis was ordered into a technical procedure after a dispute over a call. It was hard to predict at the moment, but Gillis’ technique seemed to be the turning point of the game.
In front of the best XFINITY Center audience of the year and one of the best in recent memory, the terps at both ends of the floor transformed into world bests. Maryland put on an unspeakable, unthinkable 27-4 run against the best of the Big Ten, extending their lead to 58-41 with about seven minutes remaining. By then, the result against the team at the top of the conference was all but complete.
With zeros on the clock, students flocked to the floor to celebrate in a loud court storm. Maryland recorded its first win — a 68-54 win — against an AP Top 5 team since defeating Iowa on Jan. 28, 2016, a game-changing feat and the first real win of the Kevin Willard era.
Echoes of the students’ performance of “Rock ‘n’ Roll (Part 2)” echoed through the XFINITY Center just before Thursday’s tilt, setting the stage for a vintage Maryland men’s basketball setting.
While many likely fear the opportunity to face Purdue’s Wooden Award leader and 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, Maryland’s second forward Julian Reese appeared to embrace it. Reese made his mark against the Boilermakers in the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 22, scoring 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the Terps’ near-upset win.
Reese capitalized on the atmosphere early Thursday, forcing two Edey turnovers on Purdue’s first two possessions of the game. Reese also threw in four early points at the other end, including a physical basket in which he drove through Edey.
Maryland didn’t see the ball go through the net with a searing clip in the first half — the Terps shot just 31% (8 of 26) in the first 20 minutes — but bench minutes from junior guard Ian Martinez and graduate forward Patrick Emilien gave him one Shock. Emilien scored seven points in the first half, including his first three of the season, and blocked one of Edey’s shots.
While Maryland’s defensive intensity was key to its competitive first half, it struggled to capitalize on extended makes. The Terps fought their way through a nearly three-minute goal gap late in the half, and more than five minutes elapsed between Emilien’s 3-point goal and the Terps’ next field goal.
Despite the offensive difficulties, Young’s 10 points led Maryland to a 28-25 deficit at the break. With Young’s ferocity driving to the rim and Reese’s defensive prowess, Edey, who never committed four fouls in Big Ten play, had his second foul caught in the first half alone.
Fueled by freshman guard Braden Smith – who hit his first seven shots – and Edey, Purdue quickly extended their lead to a game-high 37-29. Sensing the danger, Willard burned a time-out before the U16 media break.
After Willard’s time out, a flip switched completely. Young hit a hard two. Gillis was hit by a technician after arguing a foul call and it turned into a four-point possession with free throws and a Reese make. Graduate guard Don Carey then hit a layup before feeding Reese for the go-ahead bucket. A 10-0 run suddenly put Maryland back in the lead by a 39-37 lead, forcing a Purdue timeout.
Teams traded shots and Maryland – with a multitude of players stepping up – led 43-40 at the U12 media timeout.
Maryland maintained its momentum thereafter, building on an 11-1 run to extend its lead to 50-41. The XFINITY Center produced an absolutely insane college basketball environment that embodied what makes Maryland’s home field advantage so deadly.
The terps refused to stop, building their lead with crucial and-ones, 3-point marks and all the little things.
Maryland legend and former ACC Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez grabbed the arena microphone at the final media timeout and ushered in the unofficial start of the celebration.
To put the icing on the cake, Donta Scott benched a three with about a minute and a half to go.
Thursday was a picture-perfect moment for Willard and the Terps screaming something of a program that’s back on the national map.
Three things to know
1. The shot on goal in the second half changed everything. Maryland’s scoring in the second half wasn’t just an excitement — it was an avalanche. The Terps dominated the Boilermakers in seemingly every aspect of the game in the second half, outscoring them 43-26 – and 39-17 after Willard’s timeout early in the second half.
2. Julian Reese and Patrick Emilien faced the challenge against Zach Edey. Though Reese didn’t quite match his Jan. 22 offensive input against Purdue, it was perhaps a fiery performance from the Terps’ rising star. Reese finished with 10 points and Emilien provided the spark needed with nine points on 3-of-3 shooting. Edey was good by normal standards, scoring 18 points and catching eight rebounds, but the Terps kept him below his gargantuan standards with impeccable defensive physicality.
3. A signature moment for Kevin Willard. When Willard took the job in Maryland this spring, he had to picture nights like Thursdays. With the outcome looking bleak, Willard turned his troops around and ignited a wild run to seal the deal. When the XFINITY Center gets going, it’s going to be as good an environment as any nationally. Everything came to fruition Thursday night and had to validate Willard’s vision for Maryland basketball.
Continue reading