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Maryland highlights one of Wisconsin's few flaws in upset win

Maryland highlights one of Wisconsin's few flaws in upset win

Only one basket away from sealing a huge victory over fifth-ranked Wisconsin, Maryland did exactly what it had done to get to that favorable position.

It spread the floor, put the ball in the hands of one of its two best players and attacked off the dribble.

The Badgers were as powerless against that strategy on the game's biggest possession as they had been the previous 39 1/2 minutes. Freshman point guard Melo Trimble crossed over Josh Gasser and created enough space to sink a runner with 33 seconds to go, increasing Maryland's lead to five and giving the Terps the breathing room they needed to close out a 59-53 victory.

Trimble and senior Dez Wells were the engines for Maryland, taking 62 percent of the team's shots and combining for 42 points despite only attempting three 3-pointers between them. Wells was often too quick for forwards Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes to handle off the dribble and Trimble's first step to the basket gave Gasser fits.

Maryland's perimeter duo powered the 14th-ranked Terps (23-5, 11-4) to a victory that should give them a great chance to finish no worse than tied for second in the Big Ten. They're two games behind first-place Wisconsin now with a home game against Michigan and road games at struggling Nebraska and Rutgers remaining on the schedule.

The Badgers (25-3, 13-2) still should win the Big Ten title outright in spite of Tuesday's loss, but a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament now looks more unlikely.

Kentucky, Virginia and Duke are already ahead of Wisconsin in the pecking order at this point, while one-loss Gonzaga and two-loss Villanova also have strong cases. The Badgers probably have to win out now to have a realistic chance, no easy feat with a home game against Michigan State, road tests at rival Minnesota and Ohio State and the Big Ten tournament still remaining.

It may not matter what seed Wisconsin gets if it doesn't defend dribble penetration better than it did on Tuesday night. Many opponents won't have two elite perimeter players as adept at getting to the rim as Maryland has, but the Badgers are sure to see some teams with quick guards in the NCAA tournament.

Wisconsin typically is an elite offensive team that defends well enough to win, but the Badgers were not as efficient as usual against Maryland — especially in the first half when they settled for too many outside shots. Frank Kaminsky had 18 points and Sam Dekker had 14, but Nigel Hayes had a rare off night, Bronson Koenig shot 2 of 12 from the field and the Badgers got next to nothing from their bench.

Considering how efficient Wisconsin has been scoring this season, the Badgers won't have too many games in which they shoot 38.5 percent from the floor the rest of the season.

It's the defensive issues Maryland highlighted that are more of a longterm concern.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!