Here’s some statistical intrigue for you from Maryland’s 71-56 defeat of Utah in the NCAA tournament’s second round at Comcast Center.
Tonight’s game had three distinct stretches for Maryland, some of them spliced up into bits.
SEE RELATED:
One was Maryland going with three guards.
The second was Maryland going with four guards.
The third was garbage time, the final 2:38 when Maryland subbed out Kristi Toliver, Marissa Coleman and Marah Strickland.
Let’s put this, as is my wont, in chart form
| Scenario | Time | Score (M-U)
| Margin |
| Three-guard | 12:40 | 19-21 | -2 |
| Four-guard | 24:42 | 52-30 | +22 |
Garbage time
| 2:38 | 0-5 | -5 |
That about answers what made the difference for the Terps more than any plus-minus chart ever could.
Maryland went small (well, relatively small) and generally used its top three guards and either Anjale Barrett (for a good chunk of the first half) or Kim Rodgers (for much of the second half). That turned out to work rather well.
But just for fun, here’s a plus-minus chart anyway as I wrap up things from Comcast Center (where the tape that covered the men’s 3-point line has already been balled up and is in the process of being hauled away):
| Player | 1st half
| 2nd half
| Total | Min. |
| 5-Strickland | +16 | +6 | +22 | 34 |
| 10-Barrett | +20 | -10 | +10 | 16 |
| 12-Kizer | +1 | +9 | +10 | 21 |
| 13-Liles | +10 | -7 | +3 | 31 |
| 14-Oyefuwa | DNP | -5 | -5 | 3 |
| 20-Toliver | +16 | +4 | +20 | 37 |
| 22-Rodgers | +1 | -1 | 0 | 18 |
| 24-Mingo | DNP | -5 | -5 | 3 |
| 25-Coleman | +16 | +4 | +20 | 37 |
– Patrick Stevens
