LAS VEGAS — Buzz Williams and Maryland men’s basketball’s coaching staff stayed awake until 3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. They analyzed gameplans and poured over film for their matchup later that day against No. 12 Gonzaga.
Prep was condensed into a 19-hour period, which Williams said “rarely happens.” But the nature of the Players Era Championship forced Maryland, and the other 17 teams, to play on back-to-back nights.
Williams said the Terps typically split their preparation across multiple days. They call it “two day before,” “one day before” and “day of.” For Tuesday’s matchup, Williams condensed all three into one. “Two day before” came in the morning, “one day before” was in the afternoon and tipoff was at 6:30 p.m.
With or without a routine prep process, the result likely would have been the same. The Terps were simply outclassed by Gonzaga, KenPom’s No. 3 team entering play, from start to finish in a 100-61 loss.
“We were exposed on multiple levels, and that’s the ownership we have to have, and that includes me,” Williams said.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few plays eight upperclassmen in his rotation. Senior forward Graham Ike and junior forward Braden Huff led the Bulldogs (7-0) on Tuesday. The pair combined for 33 points and nine rebounds against a smaller Maryland (5-2) frontcourt.
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Through Gonzaga’s first five games, it logged over 70 paint points per 100 possessions — first among the Players Era tournament field. But the Bulldogs needed just 44 points in the paint Tuesday night.
Instead, Ike’s and Huff’s interior presence allowed for fluid motion across the perimeter.
The Bulldogs put Maryland’s defense on a swivel and forced it to close out on shooters. Gonzaga tied its season-high of nine made triples in the first half alone and shot 14-for-33 on 3-pointers overall.
Junior forward Emmanuel Innocenti led Gonzaga’s perimeter attack with five threes. Six other Bulldogs converted at least one shot from beyond the arc.
“Of all of the things that they’re the best at, shooting the three was what they were worst at,” Williams said. “[Huff and Ike] command so much presence inside, and I thought our plan was right. Our execution of the plan wasn’t great.”
Failed defense morphed into disoriented offense for Maryland.
The Terps shot 36.4 percent from the field and committed 18 turnovers. Both were slight improvements from Monday’s win over UNLV, when the Terps shot 42.4 percent from the field and recorded 20 turnovers.
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Senior forward Solomon Washington, though listed out, participated in pregame warmups and dressed in full uniform for the second straight night. He continued to serve as the Terps’ vocal leader from the bench.Washington’s constant energy got under the skin of one Bulldog. Innocenti was called for a technical foul before halftime after draining a corner 3-pointer, then blowing kisses toward Washington and the Terps’ bench.
Maryland was held without a field goal for the final three-and-a-half minutes of the first half.
During the drought, the Terps relied on free throws for offense, where they converted an eventual 16-for-23. A stretch late in the half saw Maryland shoot 11 free throws in four-and-a-half minutes of game time.
Maryland cut a once-21 point deficit to 15 to end the first period. But more abysmal offense down the stretch allowed Gonzaga to gain continued separation — its lead ballooning to as much as 42.
“Playing in a tournament like this affords us an opportunity to diagnose even more at a faster rate, and none of that is fun,” Williams said. “But to be able to play a team that’s good enough to win the national championship in the fourth week of the season, there’s a lot for us to grow from.”
