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Maryland basketball: 2019-20 season review and 2020-2021 early preview

By Cody Williams

PISCATAWAY, NJ - MARCH 03: Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins celebrates during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Athletic Center on March 3, 2020 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - MARCH 03: Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins celebrates during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Athletic Center on March 3, 2020 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

Biggest moments of 2019-20 season

The 10-0 start

Considering that Maryland basketball was ranked No. 7 in the country in the preseason poll, there were big expectations for this team. But they surpassed even those at the start of the year when everyone was fearing the Turtle. Including wins over quality teams like Rhode Island, Harvard, Marquette and Illinois, the 10-0 start for the Terrapins let the world know this team was for real.

Mid-December loss at Seton Hall

After that 10-0 start, however, the Terrapins suffered their first loss of the season on Dec. 10 on the road against Penn State. The big test, however, was how they would bounce back after nine days of rest before going on the road to play Seton Hall without Myles Powell. Unfortunately, Maryland didn’t answer the call. In their worst offensive performance of the year (26.9 percent shooting as a team), Turgeon’s group lost 52-48 on the road to drop their second straight. That left many wondering if the hot start was going to come crashing down.

Opening January with wins over Indiana and Ohio State

After the two-game losing streak, Maryland had only one other game in December, an easy win over the Bryant Bears. However, if they wanted to bounce back, they had games at home against Indiana and Ohio State three days apart to make a statement. Smith and Cowan stepped up when they needed to and got the Terrapins off to a nice start to 2020 with two convincing conference wins.

February wins at Illinois and Michigan State

Though Maryland was far from perfect in Big Ten play in January — they suffered road losses to Iowa and Wisconsin — the first half of February was convincing for them. On Feb. 7, they picked up a big road win to complete a season sweep of Fighting Illini. Eight days later, they went to East Lansing and made a big move by handling their business against Michigan State, putting them in line to compete for the Big Ten regular-season title.

Losing two of final three games

While the Terps ended in a three-way tie atop the conference, it’s hard to think that they didn’t let an outright win slip through their fingers. They were 13-4 in Big Ten play entering the final three games of the regular season. However, they suffered a 12-point loss at home to Michigan State on Leap Day and then lost three days later at Rutgers. And while they beat Michigan to secure a share of the conference title, losing two of their last three games left a slightly bitter taste.