Maryland basketball’s postseason outlook is far from appealing heading into the rest of February with head coach Kevin Willard’s squad well on the outside of the bubble conversation following Saturday’s loss vs. Michigan State. The Terps will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday night when they host Rutgers for a 6:30 PM tipoff, heading into what’s expected to be the final pivotal stretch for Willard’s team. Still, Maryland has found itself in multiple recent NIT projections including a potential reunion for Willard to face his former program.
One outlet recently projected Maryland to draw a road game against Miami (FL) as a six-seed, another projected the Terps to host Seton Hall as a three-seed, while a third lists the Terps as the top eight-seed which would draw a road game against Wake Forest. Following Saturday’s road loss vs. Michigan State, Maryland has a 3.3% chance to make the NCAA Tournament and is currently projected to finish 18-13 (10-10) overall, according to KenPom.
Maryland’s most recent loss over the weekend dampened their chances of adding a quality win to their resume, which remains bare aside from the road win against an Illinois team without Terrence Shannon Jr. With the NCAA Tournament a distant possibility in Willard’s second season with the program, Maryland remains at risk of missing the tournament for the second time in three seasons and third time in the last six seasons the postseason was held.
Maryland last appeared in the NIT Tournament back in 2013 after finishing 25-13 (8-10) in the second season under former head coach Mark Turgeon, falling to Iowa in the semifinals after defeating Niagara, Denver and Alabama.
“Our goal should be to get deep into the tournament. And we’ve got to figure out how to do that,” AD Damon Evans said last month about the team’s struggles.
Head coach Kevin Willard will look for his team to get back on track against Rutgers on Tuesday night, a game that KenPom currently projects the Terps to win, with three of the next four games set in College Park.
“Rutgers [is] tough defensively. We’re going to have to find ways to score and then Ohio State on the road. It’s tough, man,” Willard said following the Michigan State loss. “But we came in here, had an effort, had a chance and then, give them a lot of credit for making some big plays.”
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