MINNEAPOLIS — Maryland arrived at the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament knowing full well anything short of winning five games in as many days would result in missing out on an NCAA tournament berth. Fueled by an overpowering first half, the 12th-seeded Terrapins took the first step witho a 65-51 win against No. 13 Rutgers on Wednesday night.
The triumph in the opening round at Target Center featured scoring contributions from eight players, led by 16 from Donta Scott. The Big Ten’s top-ranked scoring defense also clamped down on the Scarlet Knights, who shot 31.1 percent overall and went just 5 of 21 (23.