Washington, D.C. — After Melo Trimble’s buzzer-beater gave Maryland basketball a victory over Michigan State on Senior Day, players roared when coach Mark Turgeon mentioned they’d only have to take a short trip to the Verizon Center for the conference tournament.
The atmosphere in D.C. was exactly what Turgeon and his players hoped for. Fans cheered even when Trimble made an appearance just to watch Wisconsin’s win over Indiana. Dressed in red and yellow, the crowd demolished referees who dared to make questionable calls against the Terps.
Then they watched their team lose, 72-64, to Northwestern in its first game of the tournament Friday night.