Maryland earns competition status with victory over Rutgers

The problem for the Terps – and for the other teams, including the Rutgers, in this half of the Big Ten – is that each season they face the powerhouses Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. When Michigan State also moved to the top, like this season, finding victory was even tougher. After a 4-0 start that inspired optimism, Maryland won just one of its next seven games – and those six losses averaged 30.2 points. But in this game, facing an equal team, Maryland ended a three-board streak.