INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The University of Maryland men’s basketball team continues to dance on Monday night. The Terps take on Alabama with a shot at the Sweet 16 on the line.
"We love the big game. We love the crowds. We’ve got an us-against-the-world mentality," said Maryland guard Darryl Morsell.
After handling the Huskies of UConn on Saturday with a 63-54 first-round win, that’s the kind of mindset Maryland is bringing into Monday's matchup against Alabama. It's the No. 10 Terps against the No. 2 Crimson Tide in the NCAA Tournament's round of 32.
"To me they are the fifth No. 1 seed," said Terps Head Coach Mark Turgeon. "They can win the national championship. They have the talent."
That talent led them to SEC regular season and tournament championships.
"We’ve played a lot of fast teams but they probably play the fastest, probably shoot the quickest," added Turgeon.
And they shoot the three with ease, leading the nation with 325 triples made and 928 attempted this season.
The Terps think they can run with them. For a team whose identity is defense, their offense is showing some life.
"Just our execution and our understanding of our teammates and all that stuff. So it’s come together," said Turgeon.
After mismatches all season, the Terps think they'll look across half court Monday and see themselves.
"With us being in the Big Ten this is finally the first time we’re facing a team that’s comparable to us," said Morsell. "They play small ball. We’ve got a lot of similar sized guys. So, we’ll be able to match up with them pretty well."
"They kind of play a little bit of small ball, pick-and-pop type basketball, and that’s what we’ve excelled at over the second half of the season," said Terps guard Aaron Wiggins. "So, I think it will be a really fun game to watch."
Tip off is set for 8:45 p.m.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
