Multiple times this year, Maryland lost close games thanks to some last second heroics by the other team or a failure to execute on their own end – but the tables turned on Sunday, when Derik Queen hit a bank shot at the buzzer to push the Terps past Colorado State and into the Sweet 16.
And that’s just confirmation, WaPo’s Jerry Brewer tells Grant & Danny, that all the hard work and all the disappointment they’ve dealt with this season prepared them for this moment.
But as Brewer alluded to, up next is Florida, the No. 1 seed in the region, one of two No. 1 seeds and 14 teams overall from the SEC, and a national title favorite – so how in the world can Maryland stun the college basketball landscape again?
“I think they're only about like one significant bench player, and maybe a role player, from being a No. 1 or No. 2 seed-caliber team, which may be one of the reasons they lost four games at the end, but what they have is tremendous – I think it’s the best starting five in college basketball,” Brewer said. “The only thing that stops them is that they’re going to have stretches where they can’t sustain that play, because, especially against good teams, every starter needs to play 32-plus minutes, and that’s difficult. They can absolutely play with Florida, but Florida goes about nine or 10 deep, so they basically have two of everything, and they have Walter Clayton Jr., who is the best guard in American and maybe the third-best player overall. They’re a tough matchup, but I think offensively, Maryland is going to be a way bigger challenge for Florida than Connecticut was; Maryland’s depth could be the difference, but I think it's gonna be a really good game, and it wouldn't be shocking to me if Maryland upset Florida and went to the Elite Eight.”
Listen to Brewer’s entire visit above!