About five weeks ago, as the Big Ten Conference was meeting with its programs and laying the groundwork for a men’s basketball season to be played amid a surging pandemic, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon figured he would need a few contingencies should COVID-19 upend his schedule.
So in the past week, when three nonconference games were canceled because of positive tests in the opposing program, Turgeon and his staff simply huddled together in his office, scanned the list of 15-20 teams compiled who could serve as replacement opponents and began texting and making phone calls.
The staff isn’t necessarily looking for an ideal matchup but just simply surveying the field to see who might be available to fill the empty slot.