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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) /

How did the Terrapins do?

In the simplest terms, it was a successful season for Maryland basketball. Their 24-7 overall record is the best season they’ve had in the past four years and is tied for the fewest losses that the Terrapins have endured since Turgeon took the head coaching job in the 2011-12 season. And finishing as the No. 12 ranked team in the country is nothing to scoff at either.

Moreover, the Terps’ performance in the Big Ten was one for the record books in terms of the program. Winning a share of the regular-season conference title is the first time that they’ve accomplished that in the six seasons that they’ve been a member fo the league. That deserves to be lauded as well.

While that all may be true, it’s hard not to feel like Terrapins didn’t leave a bit on the table in the 2019-20 college basketball season. They finished five spots lower in the AP Top 25 than where they started the season and, after losing two of their final three and three of their final five games in the regular season, essentially cost themselves the opportunity to be the sole champions in the Big Ten.

There’s no question that, led by Cowan and Smith, Maryland had the goods to not only win the Big Ten Tournament but also make a deep run in March Madness, which would’ve made the season even more fruitful. But while it was a successful year, it was a season that could’ve been better considering what this team looked like at their best and the letdown they put forth at various times, the end of the year in particular.