COLLEGE PARK, Md. — There is only one team from the DMV that is still alive in the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament. And would you believe that it's Maryland? A team that was picked to finish in 12th place in the Big Ten Conference this season.
The Terps upset 7-seed UConn to advance into the Round of 32. It was an unbelievable win that Terps coach Mark Turgeon and his team, are not taking for granted.
“A grind of all grinds! It’s always a grind but when you are picked 12th in a great league and you start out 1 and 5, and 4 and 9 ... it's kind of scary. We sat around last night and talked, and we aren’t dumb. We didn’t think this was going to happen, but we stayed the course, we stayed positive,” said Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon.
Staying positive wasn’t always easy. Playing through a pandemic has been challenging for the Terps, and there was always that worry that just like 2020, this year’s tournament might not happen.
“Everything we had to go through this year, with testing every day, and not being able to see our family, not being able to see our friends, just making all these sacrifices. It's rewarding now! This has been a rewarding experience, and hopefully, we get to keep playing," said Maryland guard, Eric Ayala.
“We are all just so thrilled to be here, we are just trying to enjoy the moments because it got taken away last year. We talk about how fortunate we are to be playing and a lot of people would love to be in our shoes, so let's make the most of it," said Turgeon.
For Maryland star guard, Eric Ayala, the message moving forward is clear.
“It's do or die, at this point! You got to leave it all out there, empty the tank. I wasn’t ready to go home. I'm having a nice time out here, the whole environment is a special place to be. As a college basketball player, as a child, you dream of this environment. I'm just going to keep dreaming," said Ayala.
Maryland's game against Alabama is set for 8:45 p.m., Monday.
The Maryland women also play Monday. They open up the tournament against Mount Saint Mary's — located in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The Maryland women tipoff at 4 p.m.