Both of the University of Maryland’s Basketball teams were primed for a great March. The Men’s team (24-7, 14-6), led by senior point guard Anthony Cowan and sophomore big-man Jalen “Stix” Smith, finished the regular season as Big Ten Champions.
The Lady Terps (28-4, 16-2), on the other hand, were even better. They, too, won the Big 10 championship, but their title came by being crowned winners of the BIG 10 tournament . The women started their tournament before the men finished their regular season.
Both teams had huge goals for March Madness, but everything was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, and the 2019-2020 season came to an end.
Going into the Big 10 Tournament, the Men’s team was the third seed and was looking to win it all in the conference. Projected as a top 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Terps had a realistic shot at a National Championship. Jalen Smith is one of the best power forwards in college but often played center because of the lack of height in Coach Mark Turgeon’s rotation. The young star averaged a double-double for the season, and is a projected 1st round pick in the NBA Draft.
Senior point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. was amazing for the Terps this season. He started every game of his college career and broke Keith Booth’s team record of 126 games started. When Cowan was on the court, you knew he was going to make a splashy play with either his ball handling or an insanely contested shot. The double-digit scorer was relied upon in close games and clutch moments.
Junior forward Darryl Morsell was a key contributor for the Terps this season, and his hustle on defense was extremely helpful. Sophomore guard Aaron Wiggins was also another key contributor. When his shot was falling, he could get red hot and was difficult to stop. The Terps finished ranked 12th in the country, according to the AP Top 25 Poll.
The Lady Terps were led by senior guard Kaila Charles and sophomore Guard Taylor Mikesell. They were ranked in the top 5 to finish up the season, slotting in at number 4 in the AP poll. Taylor Mikesell might not have had the most “wow” stats, but she was a game changer. When you watched the Terps play, you saw Mikesell all over the court making plays that usually led to a Terps bucket. Mikesell is also a sensation from the 3-point line, shooting 43% from behind the arc. Other players, such as Shakira Austin, contributed on both ends of the court as well. Austin stands at a sizable 6’5” and grabbed an average of 7 rebounds a game this season.
An interesting story unfolded in the middle of the season when Coach Freese started senior Blair Watson over freshman point guard Ashley Owusu. Owusu was playing like a starter, but Coach Freese wanted to start the “veterans” to give the team more leadership. Even though Owusu came off the bench for the rest of the season, she never missed a beat and won BIG 10 Freshman of the Year; she was the second straight Terps player to win the award.
Both teams would’ve been a top 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and who knows what could have happened had the tournament been played. COVID-19 took away the end of the college basketball season and caused all spring sports to be cancelled. It also ended the national title hopes for both Terps basketball teams. Could one, or both, of the Terps teams been National Champions? Did they have a legitimate shot to run through the dance? We will never know, but what a season they both had regardless of the NCAA Tournament.
Now onto the 2020-2021 season!
MOOSE PRINTS 