Terps Move to Round of 32

In the final game of the first round, the Maryland Terrapins defeated the Houston Cougars 89-77 out in Spokane, Washington. Freshman Jordan Williams had a career high 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Terps to the victory. While the final score had a 12 point difference, Aubrey Coleman, the nations leading scorer this season, and his Houston teammates didn't make it easy on the 4th seeded Terps. The game was much closer in the first half until Maryland started inching away late in the half. Then Houston had a last second shot drop in from just inside the half court.

While Williams tallied 17 boards, early in the game the Cougars dominated. The Terrapins defense had trouble controlling Houston as they had little trouble going inside. But with Williams' inside game, Landon Milbourne's rare gem of a solid game, and overall production from all the Terps, they led at the half and increased it during the second half.

It was a struggle, and while I and other Terps fans/alums were watching it at a party, we still thought the game was in reach for the Cougars. And it was, as they managed to take the deficit down to single digits several times. In the end, it was just that MD is the higher seeded and better team. The problem now is that with such a tough game played in the first round, the Terps have to face Michigan State at 2:30 on Sunday, roughly 38 hours after the Houston game ended. Tom Izzo and his Spartans are not the Cougars. They're better, and Gary Williams and the Terrapins will need to have a better defensive game to get past them.