Terps, Hawkeyes prove in the absence of great, very good can be riveting
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Version 0 of 1. In this outrageously balanced men’s college basketball season, Maryland keeps nibbling at its championship potential. It’s a spurt here, a great individual performance there, the briefest glimpse, the longest stare, a most methodical march befitting the kind of year it has been for all the top-tier teams. It’s a season no one wants to own. Usually, the lack of a dominant team — a super power to love or hate and give the year identity — would signal a lackluster campaign for the sport. That’s not the case this time, however. For evidence, I present the rugged competition Thursday night at Xfinity Center featuring two top-10 teams. No. 8 Maryland outlasted No. 3 Iowa, 74-68, and while it won’t go down as a classic, this one was proof that, in the absence of great, very good can be plenty riveting. It started with a first half of good offense winning against quality defense, with both teams shooting 50 percent. And in the final 20 minutes, the style yielded to two stellar defenses that transformed the game from free flowing to a slow and grueling possession-by-possession test of wills. The game’s biggest lead was eight points, creating a yo-yo of momentum that revealed the strengths and weaknesses of both squads. [Terps clamp down, turn back No. 3 Hawkeyes, 74-68] “It wasn’t always pretty, but we played hard and competed,” Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon said. “I thought we showed some toughness in the second half. We just kept guarding.” Maryland and Iowa represent the vast and vulnerable elite this season. There are about 16 teams wearing similar, nearly indistinguishable shades of good. The No. 1 ranking has been the ultimate temp position. What separates No. 1 Oklahoma from No. 9 West Virginia from No. 16 Louisville is so small that any evaluation depends on the day of the week. On Thursday, it was the Terrapins’ turn to play some of their best basketball against road-tough Iowa, which already had won at Purdue and Michigan State. Despite improving to 18-3, including a 7-2 mark in the Big Ten, Maryland had much to prove in this game. The Terrapins hadn’t beaten a ranked team. Their victories over Georgetown, Connecticut and Wisconsin weren’t exactly dismissed, but they needed a signature Top 25 win. Turgeon admitted afterward that the notion “kind of made me mad.” Still, he recognized the importance of the feat. “Well, it’s the first one at home,” Turgeon said, noting that Maryland’s two losses against ranked foes (No. 2 North Carolina and No. 12 Michigan State) came on the road. “It’s hard on the road against ranked opponents. Tonight, we beat a really good basketball team.” There’s not a contender in college hoops that has earned blind faith. But over the past five weeks, Iowa (16-4, 7-1) had overcome a so-so start and become consistently good. The Hawkeyes came to Xfinity Center on a nine-game winning streak. They had a 6-3 record against the RPI Top 50. Dating back to last season, they were on a 13-game Big Ten winning streak. Senior forward Jarrod Uthoff was playing like a first-team All-American. It was the biggest test of Maryland’s season, again. All season, this team has been burdened with the need to live up to some mythical standard, the task of measuring up to the immeasurable. What exactly does a Final Four or national title contender look like in November, December, January? Do past ones even remember? Maryland doesn’t yet have the classic résumé of an elite team about to make a deep March run. This was just the Terrapins’ 21st game together. They still play like they’re unfamiliar for stretches. Then, for stretches, they look ready to beat any team in the country. Are they inconsistent, or developing at a natural rate in order to peak by March? There’s no way to forecast it. But this victory was proof of progress. “They were just physical,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said of Maryland. “They were locked in tonight.” A locked-in Maryland can limit Uthoff to 2-of-13 shooting and nine points, half of his season scoring average. A locked-in Maryland plays off the offensive and defensive tenacity of Rasheed Sulaimon (17 points, five assists), the versatility of Robert Carter Jr. (17 points, seven rebounds) and the savvy of Melo Trimble, even when he’s not making shots. Throw in Jake Layman’s effort despite poor shooting, freshman Diamond Stone’s improving defense and Damonte Dodd’s understanding of his role, and the team was able to handle everything this game presented. The best thing about Maryland is its adaptability. It was on display against Iowa. When the game was about offense and tempo early, Maryland looked comfortable. When the game turned physical and defensive late, Maryland showed it can be comfortable when the style is uncomfortable. The Terrapins may never consistently be the team that beat Ohio State by 35 points on Jan. 16, but it’s hard to be overly worried about an 18-3 club that has only lost competitive road games against schools that will make the NCAA tournament. Still, you’ll ask for more because a deep March run is so difficult. But if Maryland can beat a good team or two on the road — there are late-season opportunities at No. 19 Indiana and No. 21 Purdue — it will have enjoyed an impressive regular season. For the 10th time over the past two seasons, Turgeon’s squad was asked to rebound after a loss and avoid a losing streak. And for the 10th time, the Terps did just that. They continue to avoid panic in this season. They are free to keep working without significant stress or self-doubt. “We are a very resilient group, and we learn from our losses,” Layman said. There’s plenty of learning from losses going around in college basketball. Iowa is no longer undefeated in league play. That means that, of the six major conferences in college hoops (ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Big East), only one team has an undefeated conference record now: North Carolina. It’s a year of parity, true parity. Don’t confuse it with parody. “It’s really impressive when you look at the talent level you’re going to face every game, and it’s on every team,” McCaffery said. “The size, the versatility, that’s what makes Maryland so tough. It’s typical, though, every time you take the floor.” If you’re looking for great in college basketball, you can’t find it right now. If you can appreciate good, you can’t get enough. It’s a year of survival for even elite teams, and right now, Maryland is holding its own. |