COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The University of Maryland men's basketball team opens Big Ten Conference tournament play on Thursday against Minnesota in Chicago.
The biggest positive for the Terrapins: they may be away from Xfinity Center, but it’s not a true road game. Maryland is just 2-9 in such contests. It’s a neutral court matchup, where they are 2-1 on the season.
The Terps tip with Minnesota in the final game of the second round at United Center. Maryland is the No. 6 seed. The Gophers are No. 14 after finishing in last place. They upset No. 11 Nebraska last night in the first round.
The Terps won both games against Minny this year in dominating fashion. The won 81-46 in Minneapolis and 88-70 in College Park. But, they know it’s a new mindset now. It’s all about survive and advance.
"It’s a new season. I’m looking forward to it. I know [the players] are and we’ve bounced back pretty good. We’ve bounced back and played really well," said head coach Kevin Willard.
"It’s been ups and downs throughout the whole season. But this group kind of really stayed together through it all," added guard Don Carey. "We tried to battle through adversity, which we did, got better from it."
The Terps are coming off that heartbreaking regular season finale Sunday at Penn State, a one-point loss on a put-back at the buzzer. They are 5-2 after losses since the calendar turned to 2023.
Tip-off on Thursday is set for approximately 9:00 p.m. The winner advances to Friday's quarterfinals against Indiana.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
