Maryland obviously had a trying season. Everyone, including themselves, expected much better things than an NIT berth.
When a team fails like that, it’s usually because of one of two reasons – either the players were overrated or the team just never meshed. In this case, I’d say it’s mostly the later. A nearly identical team won the ACC tournament and won a game in the NCAA tournament last year.
So, while this season was a disaster, it’s still somewhat salvagable. Often, when a team underperforms and isn’t happy about being in the NIT, they lose to some up-and-coming school in the first round, ending their season with a whimper. That didn’t happen for Maryland. They won their first game and then won again last night against Davidson.
The Terps are now in the NIT quarterfinals, one win away from a trip to Madison Square Garden. If they can put together two or three more victories, that might be the perfect stepping stone to get back on the pedestal the program has been on for the past decade. Playing in the NIT usually sucks, but winning the NIT is not too shabby, particularly for a team that seemed to get used to losing this year.