BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Coach Kevin Willard guided the Maryland men’s basketball team back to the NCAA Tournament. The players repaid the favor by giving Willard his first NCAA postseason win in more than five years.
The No. 8 seed Terps used double-digit scoring from three starters, including a team-high 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals by sophomore power forward Julian Reese, to propel themselves to a 67-65 victory over No. 9 seed West Virginia in a first-round game Thursday afternoon at Legacy Arena.
After graduate student point guard Jahmir Young made one of two free throws with four seconds remaining, West Virginia’s Kedrian Johnson’s would-be game-winning 3-point shot hit the front of the rim in the final second.
