Maryland has 3 NBA players: Fernando, Smith, and Cowan. Maryland has a true pg, two athletic bigs, and 3 guys who can hit 3's consistently. They are also one of the most athletic teams in the big ten. The have only 1 bad loss which was to S. Hall when they couldnt hit anything. Talented but young team.
Not to overgeneralize based on one game, but seeing Murphy struggle against tall athletic bigs is what the NBA is full of. Not suprisingly Oturu had a much better game than Murphy.
To beat a team who has better athletes, nba potential, you would have to execute, play really hard, make smart plays, and hit shots, especially from the free throw line. We didn't do that.
Maybe a zone would have kept Cowan out of the lane and the bigs from getting easy shots?? With low motor Murphy getting us just 5 rebounds we were at a 39-28 deficit, and maybe they would have just volleyballed the offensive boards but I think a zone was still worth a try.
We have few options against a quick pg like Cowan. McBrayer has ok lateral quickness. Gabe works his butt off but not quite there. IW is the only one with the quickness to guard him, but he is so undisciplined.
Maryland is a tough matchup. Even if we hit our free throws, we still lose.