Minnesota dismisses guard Carlos Morris

Adding to the comparisons are the facts that eventual national Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky did not play in that game against Rutgers, while Maryland was without its own big man Thursday night against Minnesota.

SMU: The Mustangs, who won last year’s American Athletic Conference Tournament in this arena, had won 14 of their last 17 road games and are 6-3 away from home this season.

The loss dropped Maryland into third place in the Big Ten, one game behind the Indiana Hoosiers and Iowa Hawkeyes. But let King, the only senior remaining on the Gophers roster, have his moment. “It just took a little longer than expected”.

Rasheed Sulaimon scored 28 points for Maryland (22-5, 10-4). The Terrapins also turned it over 15 times, compared to just 11 for the Gophers.

On a four-game stretch to close the season, Maryland faces Purdue and IN on the road.

“We did a good job of shrinking the court”, head coach Richard Pitino said.

The Gophers led 40-29 at the break, scoring the most first-half points of any Maryland opponent in Big Ten play and the most the Gophers had managed since a November 27 win over Omaha. Those days are gone, and the Gophers have morphed from a team that you never wanted to see on the schedule to a welcome respite amid the rigors of the Big Ten season. On Thursday night, the Terrapins were looking for answers after losing to a league doormat. Sophomore guard Nate Mason scored 18 points to lead the upset.

Minnesota made seven three-pointers in the first half and shot 46.7 percent from the field. But with 10 minutes left, Minnesota started falling apart. “Morris is one of Minnesota’s better players averaging about ten points a game”.

It was clear that Maryland missed the services of freshman center Diamond Stone, who was suspended Monday for committing an ugly flagrant foul against Wisconsin’s Vitto Brown.