Maryland basketball was on a roll, having just delivered a record-setting blowout against Ohio State. Heading to Purdue, they seemed poised for one of their biggest wins in years. Midway through the second half, a quick 8-0 run gave them a five-point lead, and it looked like they had the game in hand. But then, everything changed.

Defense: The Weak Link

Kevin Willard's teams have always been renowned for their defense, and this one was no exception. However, their success has largely been due to their opportunistic style of forcing turnovers, ranking in the top 20 nationally. In the halfcourt and transition, they've faced some difficulties, especially in the final eight minutes of today's game. Purdue scored 26 points during that stretch, with stars Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn accounting for most of them. This team is more talented offensively than many of Willard's previous ones, but perhaps not as strong in man-to-man, halfcourt defense.Willard has adopted a drop coverage on high screens, having his big men defend the paint while asking his guards to battle through the chaos and defend the ballhandler. With two big men, Derik Queen and Julian Reese, on the court so frequently, this has been his only viable option so far this season. Maryland has ranked 37th nationally in 3-point defense (27.8 percent), but it didn't work today. Purdue repeatedly used high screens to get open three-pointers, making seven of 16 from deep in the second half after a 2 for 10 first half that saw Maryland leading by five points.

Offensive Disparities

Despite having a significant size advantage, Maryland was outscored in the paint, 42-32. Smith's quickness allowed him to get into the lane, while Kaufman-Renn used his strength and quick feet to bully his way to layups. This showed that their offensive prowess wasn't enough to overcome their defensive lapses.Queen continued his outstanding freshman season, posting 26 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks on 11-18 shooting. He also made his first two three-pointers of the season after missing his first 10. This will be a part of his game going forward, and he should improve his shooting percentage. Gillespie looked like a top-line Big Ten point guard, scoring 18 points and dishing out four assists. His ability to probe at the defense until he finds a scoring opportunity is reminiscent of Melo Trimble. However, he does have a bad habit of noticing the open man a second too late, costing the team some open shots in the paint.Julian Reese, Maryland's third big name, had a rough game. His career-long battle with fouls continued, and he fouled out with more than six minutes left, scoring only five points on 2 for 6 shooting. In Maryland's four games against power conference opponents (Purdue, Ohio State, Villanova, and Marquette), Queen has averaged 22.2 points and 10.3 rebounds on 65 percent shooting, while Reese has averaged 8.3 points.

The Supporting Cast

Maryland's supporting cast played well but was largely invisible today. Tafara Gapare, who had been on a sudden surge with 13.7 points and 2.6 blocks in a three-game span, had a 0-for-3 performance, including a couple of costly turnovers. The bench scored only three points on 1 for 5 shooting in 40 minutes. DeShawn Harris-Smith remains a non-factor on offense, hesitant to attack.The good news is that the team shot 11 for 26 from three (43.3 percent) and seems to be gaining confidence in their three-point shooting recently. Rodney Rice (5-12, 13 points) made three, Gillespie made four, and Selton Miguel (13) made two.

The Sealing Run

Maryland appeared to be taking control of the game after Queen hit back-to-back three-pointers and Harris-Smith scored a layup. But Purdue coach Matt Painter called a well-timed timeout. Kaufman-Renn then scored six points in less than a minute to spark a 10-0 run that grew into a 20-5 run, turning the game around and putting Maryland out of contention. With Reese out of the game, Purdue had an easier time scoring at the rim.Maryland now has a chance to recover, with nine days off before hosting St. Francis on December 17. Former Michigan coach John Beilein said on BTN's postgame show, "They went into that building and they controlled 30 minutes of that game. That bodes well for the future. I know it's a loss, but it's OK."