Maryland basketball had just about the worst day possible

Think you had a bad day yesterday? Maryland basketball is right with you.

In just a few short hours, Mark Turgeon missed on a four-star commitment, then it was announced that Blair Watson would miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear, then the men’s team got bulldozed by Ohio State on the road and the women’s squad lost by double-digits at home to Michigan State.

Let’s take it blow-by-blow:

It all started a little after 6 p.m. ET, when Jairus Hamilton announced his college intentions. The four-star small forward decided to take his talents to Boston College, taking one of Mark Turgeon’s top remaining targets off the board. This one wasn’t super surprising, but it hurt all the same.

News of Watson’s injury broke just as the men’s team was starting its game in Columbus, Ohio. The sophomore tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right leg during practice on Wednesday, cutting short what was a breakout season. She’ll undergo surgery later, but the Terps will be without their second-leading scorer and the Big Ten’s third-best three-point shooter for the rest of the year.

Back in Columbus, the Terps had started the game strong, eventually taking a 22-15 lead. All of the first 22 points came off the hands of the combination of Michal Cekovsky, Anthony Cowan Jr. and Kevin Huerter. Down to just eight scholarship players—with Dion Wiley suffering from a concussion—head coach Mark Turgeon soon ran out of lineups. The Buckeyes finished the half on a 29-10 run and the game wouldn’t get any prettier in the second half, as Maryland left with a 22-point loss.

Entering its match with Michigan State, Brenda Frese’s team had only lost to one team since joining the Big Ten: Ohio State. The Terps were 62-3 against all other conference competition since 2014 and riding a 13-game winning heading into the game. So much for that. Maryland struggled without Watson, and lost to the Spartans at home for the first time ever.

Here’s hoping that the worst is behind us.

In better news

After leading Maryland in assists and garnering an all-conference first team selection, midfielder Jake Rozhansky signed a deal with Maccabi Netanya F.C. of the Israeli Premier League.

Maryland’s Stefon Diggs has found a home in Minnesota and an innate connection with fellow receiver Adam Thielen as the Vikings prepare for their first playoff game, from Sports Illustrated.

After opening January 2-1, with the loss coming by way of a blowout to Michigan State, the Terps moved off the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament field in the latest Bracketology. As of now, Joe Lunardi’s bracket sets up a potential Duke-Maryland matchup in the Round of 32. That would be fun, from The Baltimore Sun.

While all of Maryland’s current basketball players took an L, 2019 commits Makhi and Makhel Mitchell left a nationally televised matchup with a blowout win, as Montverde Academy beat nearby Orlando Christian 79-49. While this matchup was all about 2018 five-stars RJ Barrett and Nasir Little—and Makhel is still recovering from a broken foot—Makhi added seven points and some solid buckets in the win.

Also, this isn’t at all Maryland related, but Boban Marjanovic and Tobias Harris did the “Chicken Noodle Soup” dance yesterday and it’s the type of positive energy we all need after yesterday.