Preview: Maryland men’s basketball opens Big Ten Tournament with rubber match against Rutgers

After falling to Penn State on Sunday, Maryland men’s basketball received the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will face No. 13 Rutgers in Minneapolis in the first round on Wednesday.

Since the Terps finished in the bottom four in the Big Ten standings, they’ll need to reel off five consecutive wins to capture the tournament title and earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament. 

It’s not the mid-March scenario Maryland imagined in the preseason, but any chances the Terps had of receiving an at-large bid to the Big Dance disappeared as they fell apart down the stretch — they lost eight of their last 10 games to finish with a losing regular season record for the second time in three years.

Despite its struggles on the offensive end, Maryland’s defense has been strong all year. But that hasn’t been the case as of late, especially in the second half of games. The Terps allowed an average of 46 second-half points in their final three regular season contests. They’ve had the look of a team whose effort was fading as they realized their last few games were virtually meaningless in terms of postseason hopes.

“I think the frustration level has hit these guys,” coach Kevin Willard said.

Part of Maryland’s defensive struggles on Sunday can be attributed to the absence of Julian Reese, its anchor down low. Reese went through pregame warm-ups but was unable to play. His status for Wednesday is up in the air.

“[Reese] tweaked his ankle on – I think it was Wednesday – and he took two days off,” Willard said. “It wasn’t anything serious, but when someone logs that many minutes all season long, you’ve got to make sure you protect your guys.”

Reese’s 32.1 minutes per game are among the most of any frontcourt player in the Big Ten. Guard Jahmir Young is tied for third in the conference with 35.6 minutes per game.

The duo received honors for their impressive individual seasons on Wednesday, with Young being named a first team All-Big Ten selection and Reese an honorable mention. They’ll need to be at the top of their games in order for the Terps to have a chance at making an improbable tournament run.

Maryland and Rutgers split the regular season matchups, each winning on the other’s home court. 

The most recent matchup between the two teams was Maryland’s last win — a 63-46 victory in Piscataway Feb. 25. The Terps were dominant defensively, holding the Scarlet Knights to 37 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3-point range.

Teams with little to no at-large hopes have punched their ticket to March Madness with memorable conference tournament runs before — most recently Georgetown and Oregon State in 2021. While rare, it’s Maryland’s only path to get back to the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season.

A loss on Wednesday would likely be the final game of a disappointing 2023-24 season for the Terps, while a win would pit them against No. 5 seed Wisconsin on Thursday. 

Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. from the Target Center.