@gerbo
Sportswriter covering Maryland Terrapins football/men’s basketball and D.C. area tennis and golf. WVU/UMD alum. Irreverent commentary/stories on things relating to my native West Virginia, Pittsburgh, the DMV and more.
In the final regular season game for four seniors, it was the Terps’ blossoming freshman star that took the spotlight.
Andre Mills’ late-season rise continued with 30 points, but Maryland’s 3-point shooting went cold late in a 78-72 loss to No. 11 Illinois.
www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/ma...
Maryland coach Buzz Williams on Pharrel Payne: "We didn't honor him [on Senior Day] ... not because we're not trying to hide anything"
"No decision has been final, not because it has anything to do with me," meaning he defers to the player/doctors.
Maryland coach Buzz Williams: "I was really encouraged by the competitive character of our group." Praises the student section and season ticket holders for their support during a "volatile" season.
Adds "I've been very encouraged by" the notes he's received from Terps boosters.
FINAL:
No. 11 Illinois 78
Maryland 72
Mills 30pts, 10-18
Adams 14pts
Coit 10pts
Mirkovic 22pts
Wagler/Boswell 11pts
Terps above-average 3-point luck ran out, missing their final 8 attempts. They finish 2nd to last in the B1G, get at least 1 more game Tues. in Chicago vs. ORE.
Another Mills layup, he's up to 28, and Terps are within 2, 72-20. No Illinois points in nearly 3 minutes.
Final 4 minutes, with Illinois again leading by 6, 70-64. A 9-3 Illini run over the last 3-plus minutes. Illinois also in the double bonus the rest of the way.
Maryland overcomes a 3-plus minute scoring drought and the Washington flagrant to pull back within 2, 63-61.
Terps have made three straight FGs via Mills (layup, jump shot) and Watts (layup).
Solomon Washington excessively leans into an attempted three while kicking his leg out, its reviewed and upgraded from a charge to a flagrant. The Illini make both FTs and lead 57-53.
Good ball movement for Maryland in this half; Illinois' lead was up to 6 points, but the Terps are on a 5-0 run and within a point, 51-50. Darius Adams with two 3s in this half, 10 points overall.
At the HALF:
No. 11 Illinois 37
Maryland 34
Mills 11pts, 4-7
Coit/Saunders/Washington 5pts ea.
Mirkovic 13pts, 6-8
Z. Ivisic 6pts
Wagler 0pts, 0-3 (avg. 18.1/gm)
Illini being held way under their 84.5 scoring avg (2nd in B1G). Maryland's 5 made 3s helping it keep pace.
Maryland and Illinois tied at 26 with 3:30 until halftime. A big reason: Illini leading scorer Keaton Wagler (18 ppg) held scoreless to this point. Tomislav Ivicic also only with 2 points for the Illini.
A string of three consecutive threes — from Jake Davis, Elijah Saunders and Kylan Boswell — and we're still tight, with Maryland up 21-19. Illini started 1-of-8 from three before those back-to-back makes.
Still neck-and-neck (on a racing-themed day at Xfinity Center) with Maryland leading No. 11 Illinois, 14-11 with 11:31 left in the half.
Andre Mills still with 5 points; Solomon Washington also has 5, including only the 9th made 3 of his season.
Tie game at 7 after nearly 5 minutes, Andre Mills with 5 points, including a 3, for Maryland
Maryland wraps up its regular season against No. 11 Illinois in 30 minutes.
Four Terps honored - Solomon Washington, Diggy Coit, Elijah Saunders, and Colin Metcalf - for Senior Day today.
Terps guaranteed to finish in the bottom three of the Big Ten and play Oregon on Tuesday.
After four months of basketball and results, it can be argued that Williams and his staff never did.
m.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/ma...
Perhaps the first sign that Maryland was headed for a wayward men’s basketball campaign was Buzz Williams’ season-opening press conference.
“We’re probably behind in understanding the Big Ten,” the new Terps coach said Oct. 23.
Terps lose in a rout by 33 at Wisconsin, and coach Greg Gard’s son, Isaac, gets to come in late and drain a three on Senior Day in Madison. Maryland concludes its ignominious regular season Sunday afternoon at home against Illinois.
Maryland coach Buzz Williams: "Our shot diet was better than it was when we played at Rutgers [Feb. 15] ... we tried to play similar today in their style, we just didn't get to the rim enough. And when we did get there in the second half, we didn't finish at the rate that we have to."
"We gave it them too many times, and we fouled them way too many times," Williams said. "And we held them to four threes - That was part of the plan, but we let them get to the rim too much, and on the way to the rim, we fouled too often. We needed to get to the rim."
Maryland coach Buzz Williams: "I was caught off guard in the first half. I would not say fatigue ... You have to play really hard, you have to prepare the right way, and then you have to execute. And we didn't do all three of those things, particularly in the first half."
FINAL:
Rutgers 69
Maryland 65
Francis 19pts, 10-10 FT
Buchanan 14pts, Davis 11pts
Washington/Mills 15pts ea.
Saunders 11pts, Coit 10pts
Another bizarre game in a season full of them. Terps erase a 19-point deficit, but can't overcome a their worst first half of the year.
Maryland was 4-of-5 to start the second half from 3-point range. Since, the Terps have missed 8 in a row.
Rutgers has made its last three shots and goes up again, 60-54, with 3:19 left in the game. Maryland's lone lead remains the and-one FT make by Solomon Washington 8 minutes ago.
After Maryland's 20-2 run, they haven't scored in 4 minutes. Rutgers has made their last two shots after not scoring for a 5-plus minute stretch. Scarlet Knights lead 51-48. What is going on.
A Solomon Washington and-one, and Maryland has erased a 19-point halftime deficit and leads Rutgers for the first time today, 48-47. Incredible.
Freaky Friday must've happened in the locker rooms at halftime - it's now Rutgers who cant make a shot, and Maryland on a 17-2 run, with a Colin Metcalf dunk off a steal getting everyone back into it. Rutgers 47-45, 12:39 to go.
A 9-0 Maryland run over the last 2-plus minutes has trimmed Rutgers' lead to under 10 for the first time since midway through the first half. Scarlet Knights lead 45-37; Maryland is 4-of-5 from three (2 each for Adams and Saunders) after going 1-of-9 from distance in the first.
At the HALF: Rutgers 39, Maryland 20
Pittsburgh native Tariq Francis leads all scorers with 13
Solomon Washington with 6 for Maryland
Terps winning glass 27-10. That's the lone positive. Maryland nearly committing as many turnovers - 14 - as points scored in the half. That's some ugly basketball.
After 16-plus minutes of something purporting to be major-conference college basketball, Rutgers has doubled-up Maryland, 32-16.
Terps 7-of-20 shooting, 1-of-9 from 3 (Saunders). Turnover differential 12 to 1 in Rutgers' favor.