COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team finished the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning seven of their last eight ball games.
They posted a 24-7 on the season, going 14-6 in conference play.
And speaking of conference play, they are currently preparing for the Big Ten tournament, where they will enter as the #2 seed this year, only the second time that's happened since they've entered the conference in 2014-2015.
"We're looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity. Obviously, you want to win a Big Ten championship and improve your seeding in the NCAA tournament because that gives you better chances. We're looking to go into Indy and play well," said Terps head coach Kevin Willard.
Although it's hard not to get excited for the magic that is March Madness, coach Willard is locked in on the task ahead, winning the Big Ten.
"I love conference tournaments, I know other coaches don't like them. I think it's a great opportunity for our fans our players to experience. So, I don't even look at the NCAA tournament right now, I'm just really focused on the conference tournament," coach Willard said.
Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Baltimore native Derik Queen said this is a group that enjoys one another. So more wins, means more time with his brothers.
"We right there, three games, three days, might as well go with it," said Queen, "We only get this opportunity once. The more games we play, the more time with get to spend with each other."
This team, gelling at the right time, believes they have what it takes to make a deep run.
"We know how good we can be when we play together as a team. So, the expectations are high, but we can accomplish those," said Maryland Terp Rodney Rice.
The Terps will begin conference tournament play this Friday, March 14, at 6:30 pm in the quarterfinals.
