Coach Mark Turgeon, left, is congratulated by Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson after the rout of Ohio State at Xfinity Center.

At 9:19 p.m., an exhausted Turgeon walked through the loading dock toward the bus. Will was at his side and put an arm around his dad, patting him on the shoulder. They were headed back to the hotel, where the snowstorm back home had trapped the team for an extra night. For Turgeon, that was a lot of time to dwell on the latest loss.

‘This is when I’m at my best’

The low point of Turgeon’s tenure at Maryland no doubt came in May 2014. The Terps had just posted a middling 17-15 record, missed the NCAA tournament for a third straight season under Turgeon and saw five scholarship players transfer out of the program. Meanwhile, Turgeon was building a new house, selling another and had no idea how stable his job was. That’s about the time senior-to-be Dez Wells came into his office.

“They’re killing you out there, Coach,” the player told him, “and it’s not fair to you. You’re a good coach and a good person.”

Turgeon was touched. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “It might look like our backs are to the wall, but trust me, this is when I’m at my best.”

A year and a half later, the Terps were midway through their conference schedule and Turgeon’s back was in a familiar place.

“This is what you always want,” says Ann, “to have this type of team, to be in this type of situation. His back is against the wall and he has all these expectations on him, but this is exactly where he wants to be.”

As January wound down, the team prepped for its biggest challenge to date: a surprising Iowa squad that had risen to No. 3 in the polls. (The Terps had fallen to No. 8.) As is the case during most game days at home, Ann barely spoke to Turgeon. She was busy, and he was focused. She texted updates on their children's schedules but otherwise, her first glimpse of her husband Thursday was when he walked onto the Xfinity Center court.

Turgeon had selected one of his lucky “big-game ties,” a plaid number that he last wore for the team’s win over Connecticut in December. It was a Christmas gift a year ago from Ella.

The tie flailed about when Turgeon disagreed with calls, spotted a player out of position or needed to emphasize a point. Sitting in the stands 10 rows behind the Maryland bench, Ann tried her best not to watch her husband because his frenzied energy just makes her more nervous.

Once again, the Terps showed great energy coming off a loss, particularly on the defensive end. The home crowd was electric, and the Maryland defense superb. Ann was still anxious in the final minutes, her arms crossed and lips pursed, but the Terps eked out their biggest win of the year, 74-68.

“Whoo!” Turgeon bellowed in the tunnel as he stomped off the court.

[Terps clamp down to earn big win over Hawkeyes]

In the locker room, he congratulated his players and ran through the game’s high points. “We’re back in the league race,” he told them. “Good job.”

The room erupted in yelps and applause. “Don’t stop here, man,” said Carter, the junior forward. “Let’s keep going!”

Turgeon left the locker room for an on-court ESPN interview but spotted his family in the corridor and opened his arms wide.

“Leo, what’s up, brother,” Turgeon said to his youngest son with a smile. “Have fun?”

There was still TV and radio and a news conference to do, but for the first time all day the family was together, all smiles as they celebrated the season’s biggest win. There’d be school in morning, carpools to manage and game film to watch. But for a few minutes, they were all able to bask in the victory together.

Ann and the Turgeon children watched from a corner of the room as the coach told the reporters how proud he was of his players, how he never lost confidence in them and how he was glad his fans didn't feel the need to rush the court after toppling a top-five team.

“They expect us to win,” he said. “That’s the way it should be.”