COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland won the tipoff, but Indiana was the one with the hot start. The Hoosiers started the game on a 9-0 run, much different than games this entire season. The Hoosiers kept up the run by going up 17-4, but in the end, Maryland went on their own set of runs to put the Hoosiers away by the final buzzer.
The Hoosiers were much improved in the first 10 minutes of the game, but could not come back to pull ahead and win, something they have done many times this season. Despite getting players like Rob Phinisee and De’Ron Davis back, the Hoosiers could not finish in College Park. Indiana falls to 12-4 on the season, and a conference record of 3-2.
Indiana and Maryland have played each other six times since Maryland joined the Big Ten during the 2014-2015 season. The teams have split those six appearances, and the home team has won every game so far (not including the one Big Ten Tournament game played in 2015). This team came into College Park with what we thought would be a depleted roster. Most fans complained about Archie’s comments yesterday when he informed Hoosiers nation that Rob and De’Ron would be unlikely to play. We need to trust Archie, as he got everyone thinking they would not play.
Maryland split their matchups against ranked opponents coming into the season, but the Hoosiers took control out of the gate right away. Instead of going down by 10+ points in the first 10 minutes of the game, the Hoosiers led with a score of 19-9 with 10:24 left in the 1st half. Their hot start might not have happened without the help of Devonte Green. Devonte had a hot start, scoring 10 points in the first 12 minutes of play, almost half of the Hoosiers points after the under-8 media timeout.
Their hot start was a combination of strong defense, where the Hoosiers forced turnovers in more ways than one, and an efficient start on the offensive side. After 12 minutes of play, the Hoosiers were shooting 64% from the field. But enough emphasis cannot be placed on how Juwan Morgan and Romeo Langford each did not commit the fouls they normally do in the start of games. Romeo picked one foul up early, while Juwan had none.
Maryland put up some fight, as expected, at the end of the half. They cut the lead to 8 at halftime, with Indiana winning, 35-27. The Terrapins started to find their rhythm, after shooting under 25% from the field in the first 15 minutes of play. The crowd finally got behind a couple dunks and 3-pointers, but a huge shot from Al at the end of the 1st half made sure the Hoosiers went into the locker room with some momentum.
