Maryland men’s basketball — and a previously raucous Xfinity Center crowd — needed a jolt when fifth year guard Selton Miguel whipped a pass to DeShawn Harris-Smith.
No. 17 Wisconsin had just scored on consecutive possessions to grab a five-point lead with 11 minutes left on Wednesday. Even though Harris-Smith was 4-for-22 this season from beyond the arc entering the contest, the sophomore guard didn’t hesitate.
Harris-Smith’s first 3-pointer since Jan. 2 reignited a sold-out student section at the Terps’ annual Gold Rush game, and more importantly, Maryland’s offense in a 76-68 win.
The shot started an 11-0 stretch for the Terps. It marked the 24th time coach Kevin Willard’s team scored 10 or more unanswered points this season, which is tied for the most in the country, according to analytics site EvanMiya.
Evan Miyakawa published “The Power of The 10-0 Run” two years ago, explaining a metric he created called kill shots. Teams with at least one kill shot win 71 percent of the time, and teams with more kill shots than their opponents win at an 81 percent rate, Miyakawa wrote.
The Terps’ ability to go on these runs — or as Miyakawa calls it, their “spurtability” — is part of why they’re so dangerous.
[Second-half surge pushes Maryland men’s basketball past No. 17 Wisconsin, 76-68]
Maryland was shooting less than 35 percent before Harris-Smith’s shot. The Terps closed the game 9-for-16 from the field and 5-for-7 from three.
“It was a big three. I mean, it’s something that I’ve been on him a little bit because he’s worked so hard on his shooting,” Willard said. “Everyone has so much confidence in DeShawn, to see him have that confidence and make that shot, I thought that gave us a big boost.”
Miguel felt the same way. The original play was to get senior forward Julian Reese the ball in the post, but Wisconsin’s help defense took that option away. Miguel said he told Harris-Smith to shoot as soon as he passed him the ball.
Junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie hit a go-ahead three on the next possession. Gillespie’s been the Terps’ most consistent player in conference play but had an uncharacteristic 1-for-9 start.
Then Harris-Smith caught the ball on the wing again, and the Badgers closed out on him after they just saw him make the same shot. He dished it to sophomore guard Rodney Rice in the corner, and the hero in Maryland’s win at Indiana on Sunday hit another big three.
Rice’s triple forced a Wisconsin timeout. Xfinity Center roared once again in the Terps’ first game back since winter break.
“When it gets loud, it’s definitely tough for the other team to get going,” Rice said. “That crowd, it helps us out a lot.”
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With stops after each 3-pointer, and a Derik Queen layup after the timeout, Maryland notched its 24th kill shot. The Terps didn’t even need to reach the New Year to surpass last year’s total.
“We couldn’t have those runs last year because we couldn’t score,” Willard said on Dec. 17. “When you can’t score, you can’t press. And it’s really hard to have scoring runs when you can’t force the tempo you want to play with.”
Maryland’s tempo has been one of the biggest differences this season. The Terps play fast offensively but use their press to slow down opponents and force tough shots.
The Terps’ average offensive possession length is one of the 25 fastest in the country while their average defensive possession length is one of the 25 slowest, according to KenPom.
The team’s defense is similar to last year’s in that regard, but its offensive possession length rose more than 200 spots.
Willard would much rather see a quick missed 3-pointer than a long possession that ends in a turnover. The coach said that preference was influenced by conversations about analytics in the offseason.
The power of the kill shot didn’t come up in those discussions, according to Willard.
Even though kill shots aren’t on his mind, he’ll certainly take them. The Terps wouldn’t have earned their third straight win without their 11-0 second-half surge. That run — and the previous 23 — are part of the success that’ll almost certainly land Maryland in the AP top 25 for the first time in nearly two years on Monday.