After his team’s loss to then-No. 14 Wisconsin last week, head coach Mark Turgeon knew that Maryland men’s basketball was missing consistency. He told the Terps they needed to change their mentality coming into home games, emphasizing the importance of playing with the same effort they displayed in their three upsets over ranked opponents on the road.
Whether it was missing assignments and boxouts on defense, or lack of ball movement that resulted in poor shot selection, Maryland didn’t play with the same energy it consistently showed in each of its stunner victories.
The Terps trailed the Badgers by 18 at halftime, and though Turgeon admitted after that the game was over at that point, Maryland still had a chance after crawling back to bring the game within three in the second half.