@Maryland win biggest in Collins tenure?

[Baz=Heisman]

Given the circumstances… down two starters, playing a walk on, against a solid opponent, with the tourney not a lock and wins needed… I’d say yes.

The only thing that is also under consideration to me, given injuries, was that amazing win in Feb. 2017 at Wisconsin when Scottie was out with mono and we smacked the Badgers (with the Sanjay exclamation point dunk).

Thoughts?

 

[RhabdoWildcat]

Given the circumstances… down two starters, playing a walk on, against a solid opponent, with the tourney not a lock and wins needed… I’d say yes.

The only thing that is also under consideration to me, given injuries, was that amazing win in Feb. 2017 at Wisconsin when Scottie was out with mono and we smacked the Badgers (with the Sanjay exclamation point dunk).

Thoughts?

No. The Purdue wins are still bigger. Ain’t nothing bigger than beating number 1.

Following closely is the Michigan Miracle that once and for all got the tourney monkey off our backs.

 

[EagerFan]

The MD win is certainly the biggest win in the moment and at least until Saturday. It has a solid historical value.

Beating Michigan in 2017 seems like the top win overall for what it meant to the season and the program.

Beating Vanderbilt in 2017 was a pretty big win, although often overlooked in these threads.
Beating Purdue last February was a pretty big win as well and gets a lot of press. But then, the next two wins (Indiana and Iowa) were also big and overlooked - giving the Cats a 10 and then an 11 win season. And then Rutgers for #12 was a landmark as well.
Beating Boise State in 2023 was another big win and hopefully establishing the pattern for the future.

 

[zeek55]

It's a huge win, but those two wins against #1 are always going to be tough to outweigh.

Those are historically significant wins though the circumstances of the Maryland game make that one noteworthy in its own right.

Put it this way: in 30 years we'll still talk about beating #1 Purdue in back-to-back seasons. It's a generational feat.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I think it is most pivotal win this season under the dire health circumstance and the race for a double bye.

 

[GatoLouco]

It was fantastic, amazing, but it’s also worth noting this is not a good Maryland team. Which is weird because it has a talented big, a decent wing who has played 12 seasons and the best scoring guard in the league. All veterans

 

[PurpWildCatNation]

It was fantastic, amazing, but it’s also worth noting this is not a good Maryland team. Which is weird because it has a talented big, a decent wing who has played 12 seasons and the best scoring guard in the league. All veterans

Without Young that team would struggle to find a win on any given night... I'm not sure I've seen a team shoot that bad since.... well a few of our own beauties the last couple of years.

 

[Baz=Heisman]

These are all good takes. Can’t really argue with any of them. I guess I’m looking at it from a circumstances/injury perspective but all what was mentioned was very important.

 

[TerraCat]

It was fantastic, amazing, but it’s also worth noting this is not a good Maryland team. Which is weird because it has a talented big, a decent wing who has played 12 seasons and the best scoring guard in the league. All veterans

I was at the game with three sons who attended Maryland! So we absolutely had to win!

Our defense was excellent. They played like one man. The best defense I have ever seen NU play in person.

Our foul shooting was superb. But Maryland could not hit the side of a barn! I think they went something like 2 for 22 from three. If they hit three of those, the game would have been quite different. Remember last year’s game, when they could not miss from the arc?

When Jahmir young took it to the hole, he looked unstoppable. He is an quality college basketball player. Looked like the best player out there. But the Cat’s looked like the best team!

Martinelli play the game of a lifetime. He was amazing, and just carried/willed the Cats to victory!

When the Terps closed the lead to two points with fewer than 10 minutes to play, I was worried we were in for another late-season swoon. But Nicholson’s dunk screamed differently with 6 minutes to go to push us back to 10.

Was great to win one, when we were shorthanded (hopefully Langborg is good to go for the final three!). We absolutely had to make foul shots all game. Good teams do! Barnhizer was ice going 4-4 to close it out. Let’s win the final three!! At least two out of three!

 

[GatoLouco]

I was at the game with three sons who attended Maryland! So we absolutely had to win!

Our defense was excellent. They played like one man. The best defense I have ever seen NU play in person.

Our foul shooting was superb. But Maryland could not hit the side of a barn! I think they went something like 2 for 22 from three. If they hit three of those, the game would have been quite different. Remember last year’s game, when they could not miss from the arc?

When Jahmir young took it to the hole, he looked unstoppable. He is an quality college basketball player. Looked like the best player out there. But the Cat’s looked like the best team!

Martinelli play the game of a lifetime. He was amazing, and just carried/willed the Cats to victory!

When the Terps closed the lead to two points with fewer than 10 minutes to play, I was worried we were in for another late-season swoon. But Nicholson’s dunk screamed differently with 6 minutes to go to push us back to 10.

Was great to win one, when we were shorthanded (hopefully Langborg is good to go for the final three!). We absolutely had to make foul shots all game. Good teams do! Barnhizer was ice going 4-4 to close it out. Let’s win the final three!! At least two out of three!

I am healthily jealous you experienced it in person!

The 2-22, or 9% from three has been pointed out around here many times. But we have to also point out we went 2-13. 15% is better than 9%, but it also in the atrocious category.

 

[olshin]

Given the circumstances… down two starters, playing a walk on, against a solid opponent, with the tourney not a lock and wins needed… I’d say yes.

The only thing that is also under consideration to me, given injuries, was that amazing win in Feb. 2017 at Wisconsin when Scottie was out with mono and we smacked the Badgers (with the Sanjay exclamation point dunk).

Thoughts?

No. But maybe the most unlikely, even more so than the Purdue wins. Not only to win short-handed on the road, but to do so when Martinelli was our star, and Blake Smith played huge minutes.

 

[GOUNUII]

No. But maybe the most unlikely, even more so than the Purdue wins. Not only to win short-handed on the road, but to do so when Martinelli was our star, and Blake Smith played huge minutes.

In the context of the last 2 seasons, I believe the @Md. win is the best evidence yet that Collins has instilled a winning culture in the program. These guys don’t hope to win anymore. No matter the circumstances. They play to win and are confident they can make the plays to get it done.

In the larger picture he has taken the team from a mindset of “We can’t win” to “We hope to win” to “We expect to win.” It’s taken a while to achieve, but it sure has been sweet to witness.

Lots of things have contributed to this enormous transformation. Credit Collins. He stayed the course through tough times and made it happen.

GOUNUII

 

[SmellyCat]

"Biggest" is of course subjective. Maryland is in 13th place in the conference, and although they have very slim NCAA hopes, they're not exactly a juggernaut. Happy NU won and it's certainly a big one, but they're all big at this time.

It's going to be tough to beat the Tap-to-Pardon game in my eyes, and of course the Purdue wins, and maybe Vanderbilt and Boise State, too. The only way casual NU fans remember this game 10 years from now is probably as the origin story of Blake Smith and Nick Martinelli, kind of like how people remember Pardon's first game against Nebraska.