In the biggest game of their season, with a chance to take a major step toward securing an NCAA tournament bid, the Gophers men's basketball team collapsed.
They couldn't make key free throws. They had trouble inbounding the ball. They couldn't score down the stretch.
They might have ruined a season that continued to be promising, right up until there were two seconds remaining in regulation late Wednesday night at Williams Arena.
Maryland guard Darryl Morsell sank a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining and ninth-ranked Maryland came back from a 16-point halftime deficit to beat the Gophers 74-73 inside a less-than-full Barn.
Did Gophers coach Richard Pitino think he needed to beat Maryland to make the tourney?
"I did,'' he said, with a rueful smile. "We're kind of running out of time here.''
The Gophers could still make the tournament. They could win their last three Big Ten games to reach .500 for the conference season. They could win a game or two in the conference tournament.
But their past three home losses threaten to define their season. They blew a big lead against Iowa, lost a close game to Indiana and blew a big lead against Maryland.