WEST LAFAYETTE — As the Maryland men’s basketball team’s Round of 64 game against Connecticut drew closer on Saturday night, junior guard Eric Ayala noticed the team’s hotel had thinned out, as eliminated squads had already begun to pack their belongings and return home.
In the days leading up to the NCAA tournament matchup, Ayala on multiple occasions referred to the opportunity to play in the postseason as a “blessing,” one appreciated more after months of daily COVID-19 testing, isolation from friends and family, and, of course, a 4-9 start to conference play that had the Terps’ tournament prospects looking bleak.