The Maryland Terrapins got off to a slow start against the Clemson Tigers at the Comcast Center, and it looked like maybe the team was still suffering from a hangover from their loss at Boston College.
The Terps woke up midway through the first half and then lead by as many as 15 down the stretch as they rolled past Clemson, 72-59.
Mark Turgeon, who is typically very animated on the sideline, was more active than ever. He seemingly willed his team to compete hard, determined not to have a repeat of the Boston College effort. At times, Turgeon was so into the game that he was several steps out on the court and in a defensive stance screaming at his players to get a stop.
Nick Faust scored a season-high 18 points in his best performance of the season. Even more importantly, he did not have a single turnover. He really set the tone as the team's point guard, as the Terps turned the ball over just eight times, a massive improvement.
Maryland featured a very balanced scoring attack and received big contributions from freshmen Shaquille Cleare, Charles Mitchell and Jake Layman.
As expected, the Terps controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Tigers, 37-27.
Maryland remains on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA tournament, but they can nudge themselves closer to that bubble when they take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta Wednesday night.
It's the start of a tough stretch to end the season for Maryland, which plays three of its final four games on the road. The Terps will have to win at least three of those four to have any shot at the NCAA tournament unless they were to somehow win the ACC tourney.
Georgia Tech is the worst team the Terps will face over that stretch, so it's really important they come away with a win. The lone home game is against North Carolina, which would give Maryland a chance to add another quality win to their tournament resume.
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