Maryland vs. Minnesota
When: Wednesday, Mar. 2 || 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Center || College Park, MD.
Watch: BTN - Cory Provus (play-by-play), Stephen Bardo (analyst)
Listen: 105.7 FM (Balt) / 980AM (DC) / XM372 - Johnny Holliday, Chris Knoche, Walt Williams
Three days after Maryland pulled off their third win against a ranked team this season, the Terps will have a chance to get back to .500 overall on senior day. For Maryland, once a consensus top-20 preseason team, the season didn’t go the way that anyone inside and outside of the program expected, but as the veterans had a chance to reflect on the emotional night, the consensus feeling of appreciation was evident.
“I'm excited. You know, just have everybody in the crowd and you know, just share that moment with my family,” guard Fatts Russell added. The grad transfer from Rhode Island been the Terps’ staff as of late, scoring 20 or more points in five of his last six games, but it was ironically after his 18-point performance in the win over Penn State when Fatts proclaimed his affinity for the school he’s only attended for months.
“It’s been a struggle this year,” he said back on February 22nd, “but this place feels like home to me, and I love putting Maryland on my chest every day.” Ahead of his final game inside the Xfinity Center, Russell pointed to the people making his year memorable.
“Coach [Danny] Manning, you know, me and him have a really tight relationship. You know, Larry Brown is one of the people I talked to a lot and that was his coach in college so, you know, we already had that little connection, but over time, we just built like a really strong bond. And, you know, Donta he's like my brother, you know, I've been with him for it feels like all my life and I knew Hakim [Hart] growing up and Eric [Ayala] so just that whole family environment, you know. We’re like brothers, we enjoy being around each other, we have fun. You know, it really feels like home, it's gonna be hard leaving here.”
Eric Ayala has battled through a hand injury the past four games but returned to form against the Buckeyes with 23 points, a game highlighted by the backcourt’s combined 50 of Maryland’s 75 points in the win. Ayala hit a stepback three to push the lead back to double-digits in the closing minutes of the win, but as the veteran recalled his journey, he pointed to the moment after the shot as what he appreciates most.
“I had interaction with a fan in our game the other night and I was just looking like, I couldn't believe how much I missed that,” Ayala recalled. “All last year and how much they helped us a lot in that game the other night. And, you know, I appreciate the fans and everything, just, you know, now that COVID is over. A lot different now than they were before. So, definitely excited.”
Manning described his veteran shooting guard as an “old soul” as he’s watched Ayala adapt as a leader through a turbulent season.
“He's got a gentle spirit about him, kind spirit and I really appreciated that, especially in this unique situation that we've all been in. He just comes out and he does what he does, he started to be a little bit more vocal than he's been in the past and I think that's the byproduct of it coming to an end. You know, it’s winding down for him and he’s a little bit more vocal. But for us, you know, he's been a guy that's made shots, he’s made tough shots, he leads us in made three-pointers, he figures out a way to be effective night in and night out being at the top of other team’s scouting reports and this is the first year that he's been there in terms of, you know, making as many threes and scoring the ball the way that he’s scoring. And so, you know, he's had to go through some adjustments this year as well but I'm thankful that he's on the team, because like I said, I feel a connection to him because of his soul and how he carries himself and you know, he wants to help this team be successful.”
Maryland will also honor Xavier Green and Simon Wright during Wednesday’s pregame introductions as Wright remembers the bonds forged during his lone season with the Terps.
“Just the bonds that I’ve built with the teammates. Obviously, whatever the expectations were coming into the season, maybe we haven’t met them, but I think that going through what we went through together as a group, you know, you don’t really have a choice but to show up every day and so showing up every day, getting through it, just laughing through all the hard times has really brought us close. I’ll remember the guys on the team and our relationship forever.”