BALTIMORE — March 8, 2020, served as a joyous day for Maryland men’s basketball. The Terps defeated Michigan at Xfinity Center to claim a share of the Big Ten Conference regular-season title and head into the NCAA Tournament with high expectations.
Suddenly, the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world, shutting down sporting events including March Madness. That left plenty of “what ifs” for the program, including whether coach Mark Turgeon could have led the Terps to a deep tournament run, perhaps as far as the Final Four. Instead, he stepped down less than two years later, just nine games into his 11th season.
Maryland athletic director Damon Evans doesn’t dwell on the “what ifs.” He’s focused on the present, which means hiring a coach who can energize the program and its fan base after the team went 15-17 overall (7-14 in the Big Ten) and completed its first losing season since 1993.
