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The Big Ten only had one game on Thursday night, but it was a big one between Maryland and a feisty Seton Hall squad. The matchup gave the Terps a chance to bounce back after a tough outing against Penn State on the road last week.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
-Seton Hall Pirates 52, No. 7 Maryland Terrapins 48
While this game was pretty competitive throughout, there’s little debating that Seton Hall also controlled this one from start to finish. The Pirates got a great performance from Quincy McKnight, jumped out to an early lead, and never looked back. It took a frantic push from the Terps in the final 10 minutes to get this one as closed as it ended up being. And when all was said and done, Maryland fell by a 52-48 final score on the road.
The obvious issue for Maryland in this one was the team’s offensive effort. Seton Hall is one of the better defensive units the Terps will likely see this season, but Maryland’s underwhelming production on that side of the floor was certainly frustrating. The team scored 0.72 points per possession and Darryl Morsell and Donta Scott combined for just five points on 2-of-10 shooting. That’s not going to cut it against quality teams on the road.
If Terp fans are looking for a silver lining from Thursday’s loss, it’s that it likely won’t have a tremendous impact on the team’s long-term goals. Maryland still sits at 10-2 overall and only one game back in the Big Ten heading into the close of December. And while two losses in a row are frustrating, both of the team’s losses came on the road against top 25 teams on KenPom. It’s ridiculous to crush a team for losing a couple games like that.
Maryland will now get a few days off and will hope to rebound on Sunday at home against an underwhelming Bryant squad. The Terps will be significant favorites in the matchup.