Big Ten/ACC Challenge: Maryland Basketball's Loss a Telling One for These Terps

In the Big Ten vs. ACC Challenge game that went down to the wire with Illinois, the Maryland Terrapins let a first-half lead slip early into the second half, falling by a final score of 71-62.

Yet despite the loss, the Terrapins were a team that proved they have the potential to be a legitimate threat in the ACC.

Illinois came alive in the second half, doing what they do best with their lock-down, top-notch defensive effort. The Fighting Illini have led the Big Ten defensively the last three seasons and are continuing the strong play this season.

All things considered the Terrapins took on a tough Illinois team, which on paper, was an easy favorite in this contest.

The biggest plus for the Terrapins of the night, the top-notch play of point guard Terrell Stoglin throughout the game. The Fighting Illini defense may have held the Terrapins to a tough second half offensively, yet they had no answer for Stoglin and his quick, explosive game scoring the basketball.

Stoglin had a game high 25 points on eight-of-17 shooting while grabbing three rebounds and going four-of-nine from three-point range in 32 minutes of play. Make no mistake about it, the sophomore talent is a promising one for these Terps.

The other area in which this team showed a drastic improvement was in the ability to lock-down defensively. Earlier in the season the Terrapins were yet to be tested be many quality ball clubs and were taken down hard by No. 15 Alabama in Puerto Rico.

In this game against Illinois, the Terps held the top-shooting team in the Big Ten to just 41.8 percent shooting and 30.4 percent from three-point range. These are numbers the Terrapins can pride themselves in, as they come against a team that came into the contest having its way offensively.

All season another significant issue with the Maryland offense under the newly acquired head coach Mark Turgeon, was that it was stagnant and had little to no fluidity.

There were a plethora of "hero shots" that were low-percentage looks that should have never been taken. Stoglin and freshman Nick Faust seemed early on to be fighting for looks instead of playing team ball.

Now the Terps look refueled and re-energized, as well as a team that runs a consistent and effective offense. Stoglin was effective taking it in and shooting from three, while teammates James Padgett and Sean Mosley were finding their sweet spots on the floor.

There was a dramatic difference in the amount of off-the-ball movement, as it completely changed the dynamic of the Terrapins offense.

At the end of the day the Terrapins move to 3-3 on the season, enter a softer stretch of the season after taking on Notre Dame in their next game.

Expect the Terps to be a more confident looking team going forward, as well as one with the making to potentially compete with the teams like Duke and North Carolina of the ACC.