Maryland 61, Purdue 60: Boilers Fade Late

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty ImagesAfter three straight road wins and a trip back into the top 25 you can’t blame Purdue fans for riding high on this year’s Boilers. It feels like we’re ahead of schedule for what can be a monster 2021-22 and 2022-23 season, so a one point road loss to a semi-desperate Maryland team can feel like a step back.

It’s not.

This is more of a frustrating one. It is hardly a crippling blow as the Terrapins are rated in the top 50 of all the computer polls. Like pretty much everyone else in the Big Ten, they are a tough out on any given night. At 3-7 in league play and a surprising 0-4 at home, they needed a win. Down 5 with 100 seconds left they were up against it.…