Led by their defense and a stellar game by Eric Ayala, the 10-seed Maryland Terrapins upset 7-seed Connecticut by a score of 63-54 on Saturday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In a matchup of two scrappy, hard-nosed, defensive-minded teams, it was the Terrapins who came out on top. They will move on to play the 2-seed Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen.

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Led by Darryl Morsell, the Big Ten Conference‘s Defensive Player of the Year, Maryland’s defense continued their impressive run, holding the Huskies to their lowest point total of the season. Head coach Dan Hurley’s team made just 32% of their field goal attempts and 30% of their three-point shots. Connecticut seemed especially confused by the Terrapins’ defense in the first half, going into halftime with just 22 points. Free throws were also a problem for them, as they converted just 5 of their 12 attempts from the line.

Connecticut’s offensive woes came despite having a massive advantage on the glass. They out-rebounded the Terrapins 40-29, and had a whopping 22 offensive rebounds. However, Maryland’s defense was still able to limit their second-chance opportunities and shored up their rebounding in the second half.

Offensively the Terrapins were led by Ayala, who led the team with 23 points. He made 3 of his 5 attempts from beyond the arc, and converted on all 4 of his free throw shots. Connecticut’s defense seemed to be primarily focused on stopping Aaron Wiggins, and Ayala was able to take full advantage. While Wiggins only attempted 9 shots, all but 5 of his conversions were from long range. He finished with a very efficient 14 points. Donta Scott also stepped up offensively, scoring 12 points on 7 attempts.

When Maryland has been at their best this season, they’ve done what they were able to do against the Huskies tonight. Play stifling defense, drive to the basket offensively, shoot three-pointers efficiently, and convert at the free throw stripe. They had very few lazy offensive possessions, and never quite suffered the prolonged scoring droughts that have so often plagued them in the past. They’ll need more of the same on Monday when they face off against Alabama and their high-flying offense.

Zack Kiesel
Zack Kiesel

Terps Analyst

Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: [email protected].

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