By midway through the second half of the game, observers can write, with confidence, that Maryland can play no worse. With six minutes left at Lincoln, the much-ballyhooed Terrapins trail the hometown heroes by 3. When the game ends, Maryland has a staggering 18 turnovers; this figure includes 13 that occurred in the first half. Starting Maryland Forward Jake Layman can play no worse, and besides that, it looks like the senior hasn't slept anytime recently. But late in the game, with the outcome very much in doubt, Layman hits two essential baskets and, unquestionably, pulls down the rebound of the game. It came in the final fifteen seconds of the game, and with Maryland leading by a very precarious three points. Nebraska's Andrew White launched a three-point shot that would have tied the game had it passed through the basket. But White's shot missed, hitting the rim and trickling off. When White's shot came off the rim, Layman went up for it with what seemed like the entire Nebraska team. Layman and the Nebraskans fought for the ball like it was the Hope Diamond, but despite the number of opposing players deployed against him, Layman somehow managed to wrestle the basketball away from the assembled Nebraskans. You remember this picture: Layman standing next to the baseline, his arms around the basketball. Then, one of the Cornhuskers nonchalantly pushed Layman, who was standing only inches from the baseline. Layman started to fall over and appeared doomed to landing on his back, out of bounds. The game turned on how Layman reacted to the crisis confronting him. If he fell and landed out of bounds with the ball, possession would be awarded to Nebraska and the Cornhuskers would have over ten seconds to get another potential game-tying shot off. Layman was determined not to let that happen. Instead, he shot a glance to his right, where he saw Trimble. Using both hands, he threw the ball to the Maryland Point Guard, who caught it cleanly and, in an instant, took off dribbling the ball away from nearby Nebraska players. Trimble was able to run the game clock down to just 6.4 seconds before one of the Cornhusker players caught up to him and fouled him. Layman's heroics essentially ended Nebraska's chances. The "essentially ended" was changed to "completely ended" once Trimble connected on both free throws, putting the Terps up, 70-65. It was another one of those games when Layman looked bad but still stood tall at the end, making clutch and critical plays to help Maryland win. His stats, at first glance, are not so hot. Supposedly a good shooter from three-point range, he was 0-2 from there for the game. He had no offensive rebounds. He had just six points. But look again. Despite the lack of offensive rebounds, Layman had 8 total rebounds for the game, second only to Diamond Stone. Even with the two misses from the three-point arc, he was 3-7 from the field in a hostile gym. And then there was the play he made on "the breakaway." Nebraska had the ball and was working it around the perimeter when somebody on Maryland poked the ball free and managed to send it flying down the court toward the Maryland basket. Layman took off after it, but a Nebraska player had a half-step on him. Both Layman and the Cornhusker were nudging and pushing a bit as they struggled to be in position to make a play on the loose ball, which was bouncing toward the baseline under the basket Maryland was shooting at. Both were running so fast that neither could stop when they finally did catch up to the ball. Layman, however, shot an arm and hand out ahead of the Nebraskan, and batted the ball backwards, keeping it from rolling out of bounds. As their momentum carried Layman and the Nebraskan into the front row seats, the importance of what Layman had done became clear. Layman knew that Rasheed Sulaimon was trailing the play. Sulaimon gobbled up the loose ball and jammed it through the basket. The official scorer correctly awarded an assist to Layman.
As you watch this game - and a whole lot of other Big Ten games this season - you notice that the game officials are worse than ever and are being smug about it, to boot. Does the genius class at Big Ten Headquarters "ask" these lads to take a gander at replays of some of the trash they call? Sulaimon had to have been standing in the same place, outside of the "no offensive foul" semi-circle at the bottom of the lane, for at least five seconds before he was called for "blocking" on a critical play late in the second half. He had stood there, motionless, hands up, for at least five seconds. At the end of that five second span, one of Nebraska's linebackers rumbled down the lane and plowed into him. Sulaimon was knocked over backwards. Once again, this is how it happened and don't take my word for it; watch the replay. But the officials, or at least one of them, called the foul on Sulaimon. Three of the genius class are on the floor and not one of them saw how absolutely terrible this call was? Basketball officials need to explain to me how this can happen. How can three grown men who have to be spending hours and hours each week watching college basketball, and yet on this play and dozens like it they manage, somehow, not to have at least one set of eyes on the defender when a player with the ball drives down the lane? On TV and on the radio, the commentators can only grown aloud when they see the replay. Says one, in shock, as a first impression, "oh my."
To his credit, Rasheed Sulaimon walks quietly to the Maryland bench, where he teammates arise and commiserate with him. Earlier, the Nebraska bench didn't show that much restraint after a similarly baffling call, and, as a result, they were "T'd up. After the technical foul, Trimble hit both free throws.
Anyway, in Lincoln there is less than four minutes left and Maryland, recently behind, has quietly crept ahead by three points. Jared Nickens is shooting well, again, and it is none too soon. Already in the game, the sophmore has eleven points, including three of his beautiful long arching three point shots. Melo Trimble is on his game going down the wire, and is also deadly from the three-point arc. He has taken command of the Maryland Offense now that crunch time is here.
But on defense, Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon has permitted Maryland to slip into some kind of zone defense that is giving Nebraska's less-than-deadly shooters a series of very open and unbothered looks from the outside, and, wouldn't you know, their bloody 'threes' are going in. The clock slips under the three-minute mark and Maryland has a four-point lead, but Nebraska has the ball. Suddenly, Shavon Shields gets a pass to Mark Jacobson, who hits a long three and pulls the Cornhuskers to within 62-61.
But then Layman drives, scores, and is fouled. He does missss the free throw but Damonte Dodd tips the rebound to Diamond Stone, who jams it. It is, in essence, a four-point play, and with 2:05 left, Maryland leads, 66-61.
In a normal game in a normal world, that 4-point-play should have brought the competition to a close. But this is a Big Ten game, not a normal game. And this is a Big Ten Gym, not the real world. Within 15 seconds of Diamond Stone's basket, Nebraska's Benny Parker is already firing up a three- point shot. It actually misses, but Michael Jacobson fights for and gets the rebound and passes it out to a Cornhusker guard, allowing Nebraska to reset their offense. Within seconds, Stone fouls Tai Webster in the act of shooting, and Webster hits both free throws. Maryland's lead is cut to 66-63 and now there is only 1:34 left to play.
Trimble doesn't hesitate at the other end. Maryland isolates Layman on the low post on a smaller defender, and Trimble passes to Carter, and Carter quickly feeds the ball to Layman. Layman pivots and lays it in, and Maryland is back up by 5 points. Now, there is only 1:13 left.
Then there is another play that should have ended the game. After Nebraska brings the ball up the floor and quickly begins to run their offensive set, Trimble steals the ball and goes tearing down the floor on a 3 on 2 fast break. At the top of the key he passes to Carter, but Carter, instead of forcing the action by going hard to the hoop, chooses to dribble across the lane and shoots a kind of fade-away floater. The shot rolls off the rim. In the ensuing scrum, Stone fouls Webster, who again hits two free throws, pulling Nebraska back within 3 with 54 seconds left.
On Maryland's next possession, Nebraska fouls Stone. Anyone paying attention knows that Stone's foul shooting is one of the things that make him very special. A 6'11" freshman, he hits over 80% of his shots from the foul line. But on this night in Lincoln, both he and Trimble are terrible free throw shooters, and for the second time in this game, he comes up empty. Now Nebraska comes down the floor with a chance to tie the game with a three point shot. This is when Layman really steps up. But first, Shavon Shields does Maryland a huge favor by driving the lane instead of going for the tie. Stone, for the eighth time in the game, blocks the shot. The ball trickles out of bounds and the officials eventually award it to Nebraska. The ball is in-bounded and quickly comes to Andrew White, who now goes for the tie with a three-point shot. It misses. The game now turns on what happens to the rebound; enter Jake Layman.
Maryland was up three when Nebraska was forced to foul Trimble. He made both free throws, after, for him, a poor night at the foul line. He finishes with 20 points, including 14 in the second half, as Maryland wins, 70-65.
But at least on this night, the real story is Stone. He finishes with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocked shots. He dumbfounded Nebraska in the second half. He wouldn't let the Huskers get in any kind of groove. The only thing that allowed the Huskers to stay in the game was their ability to get Stone and Carter into foul trouble. But Nickens was a fly in the Nebraska ointment, emerging from his shooting woes to hit three long three-point shots. The Terps are now 20-3 overall and 9-2 in the Big Ten. Purdue comes to College Park on Saturday. Here is an up-to-the-minute look at the Big Ten Standings:
1. Tie: No. 5 Iowa: 9-1 in Big Ten, 18-4 overall
No. 22 Indiana: 9-1 in Big Ten, 19-4 overall
3. No. 4 Maryland: 9-2 in Big Ten, 20-3 overall; 0.5 GB
4. Tie: Unranked Michigan: 7-3 in Big Ten, 17-6 overall; 2 GB
No. 18 Purdue: 7-3 in Big Ten; 19-4 overall; 2 GB
6. Tie: No. 10 Mich. State: 6-4 in Big Ten; 19-4 overall; 3 GB
Unranked Ohio St.: 6-4 in Big Ten; 14-9 overall; 3 GB
8. Unranked Wiscon.: 5-4 in Big Ten; 13-9 overall; 3.5 GB
9. Unranked Nebraska: 4-6 in Big Ten; 12-11 overall; 5 GB
10. Tie: Unranked Illinois: 3-7 in Big Ten; 11-12 overall; 6 GB
Unranked N'western: 3-7 in Big Ten; 15-8 overall; 6 GB
12. Unranked Penn St.: 2-8 in Big Ten; 11-12 overall; 7 GB
13. Tie: Unranked Rutgers: 0-10 in Big Ten; 6-17 overall; 8 GB
Unranked Minn.: 0-10 in Big Ten; 6-16 overall; 8.5 GB
Correction: A Post in Credible and Incisive on Monday, February 1 was incorrect insofar as it stated that in the Horizon League, all tournament games are played in the home gym of the higher seeded team. Thus, according to the post, the regular season champion would play all of its tournament games in its own gym. In fact, beginning this season, the Horizon League is joining other conferences in Division 1 by playing all of its tournament games at a neutral site. The entire Horizon League Tournament is being played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. In addition, beginning this season, the first and second place teams will earn a first round bye. Every tournament game in the first and second round will be televised on ESPN 3, both semi-final games will be on ESPNU on March 7, and the championship game will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN2 on March 8.
The tournament brackets and schedule are at http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/sports/brackets/2/bracket.pdf?1447775721
Credible and Incisive regrets the error concerning the tournament.
Correction: A Post in Credible and Incisive on Monday, February 1 was incorrect insofar as it stated that in the Horizon League, all tournament games are played in the home gym of the higher seeded team. Thus, according to the post, the regular season champion would play all of its tournament games in its own gym. In fact, beginning this season, the Horizon League is joining other conferences in Division 1 by playing all of its tournament games at a neutral site. The entire Horizon League Tournament is being played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. In addition, beginning this season, the first and second place teams will earn a first round bye. Every tournament game in the first and second round will be televised on ESPN 3, both semi-final games will be on ESPNU on March 7, and the championship game will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN2 on March 8.
The tournament brackets and schedule are at http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/sports/brackets/2/bracket.pdf?1447775721
Credible and Incisive regrets the error concerning the tournament.
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