Maryland men’s basketball suffers 87-71 loss to Florida in Sweet 16

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On March 24, 2016, Maryland Basketball faced off against the No. 1-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in the Sweet 16. It was the Terps’ first Sweet 16 appearance since 2003 and the first under then head coach Mark Turgeon.

The Terps kept the game close heading into halftime, trailing by just two against their top-seeded opponent. However, in the second half, they were completely dominated, eventually losing by 16 to the Jayhawks.

Flash forward nine years, and the Terps (27-9) faced a very similar situation in their first Sweet 16 appearance since then. 

In a matchup with the No. 1 seed Florida Gators (33-4), the Terps trailed by two at the half. However, it wasn’t long before the Terps found themselves severely outmatched. They fell by 16 once again, 87-71, capping off their best season in five years. 

In a see-saw first half, the Terps held the lead for a total of 2:22, but wouldn’t let the Gators run away. Despite only three players scoring through the first 17 minutes, the Terps utilized 13 Gator turnovers to their advantage. 

Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the way early, entering the locker room with 15 points on three-for-five shooting beyond the arc. Forward Julian Reese, in his final game in a Maryland uniform, followed suit, finishing the first frame with 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Reese finishes his time as a Terp scoring 1,488 points and notching 1,014 rebounds. 

“We’re going to hang his number one day,” said head coach Kevin Willard.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the way early, entering the locker room with 15 points on three-for-five shooting beyond the arc. Forward Julian Reese, in his final game in a Maryland uniform, followed suit, finishing the first frame with 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists. 

However, it was all downhill from there. The Gators came out of the gates firing, while the Terps came out sluggish. Despite some short scoring runs, the Terps never trailed by less than seven. 

At the 12:16 mark in the first half, Florida big man Alex Condon exited the game with an ankle injury, the same ankle he had injured earlier in the season. Condon, who led the Gators in rebounds and blocks entering the game, wouldn’t return until halfway through the second half. 

The Terps initially took advantage of Condon’s absence by forcing the ball inside and drawing fouls, shooting 12-for-16 from the charity stripe in the first half. However, despite head coach Kevin Willard’s emphasis entering the game, the Terps were dominated in the rebounding category. The Gators finished the game out-rebounding the Terps 42-20. 

The Gators were also lights-out from long range, nearly always shooting uncontested. They shot at a near 40 percent clip, led by leading scorer guard Will Richard. 

A theme in the second half of the season for the Terps was their lack of bench scoring despite the strength of their starting five. Nothing was different in their biggest game yet, as the bench provided just three points compared to Florida’s 29, despite the decreased playing time of Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who finished with two second-half points, due to foul trouble. 

Perhaps the biggest storyline of the day was the complete absence of Selton Miguel. Miguel, who was one of the Terps’ most consistent shooters all season, finished the game with zero points, missing all seven of his shot attempts and two free throw attempts. 

The lone bright spot for the Terps was once again Derik Queen. The freshman finished with 27 points and five rebounds. Unfortunately for the Terps, it’s also likely his final game donned in Maryland attire, seemingly bound for June’s NBA Draft. 

Despite this week’s drama surrounding Willard’s future with the team and the tough loss, the program finishes the 2024 season with its best finish in five years and a memorable nickname for the highest scoring starting five in the nation.