Maryland suffered its first defeat of the season last Tuesday at Penn State, ending a run of ten straight wins to begin the season. That game also marked the end of the first segment of Maryland’s schedule, as the Terrapins don’t return to action until December 19 when they visit a Seton Hall team that’s both banged up and in serious need of a statement victory. The break in the schedule provides an opportunity to look at Maryland’s positives and negatives ahead of a stretch in which the Terps will only play two games over a ten-day period.

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One of the biggest positives has been the play of Anthony Cowan Jr., who’s stepped up and played at the level one would expect from a senior point guard. While a “leader” doesn’t have to give those “fire and brimstone” speeches every day, there needs to be a feeling that when something needs to be said they’ll be there to get the job done. By all accounts Cowan has been that guy, while also playing at a higher level than he did last season. While the averages are about the same, with Cowan averaging about a point and half a steal more and one-tenth of an assist less than he did last season, his percentages (from the field) have improved.

Through 11 games he’s shooting 42.7% from the field and 37.9% from three, and while neither number jumps off the page those are improvements on his 2018-19 numbers (39.3% FG, 33.7% 3PT). Cowan’s shooting 73.8% from the foul line, but given the fact that he’s an 80% shooter for his Maryland career the safe money’s on that figure improving as the season progresses.

While the perimeter shooting is a concern, the perimeter play has been good for much of the season’s first 11 games. Darryl Morsell’s toughness can’t be measured on a stat sheet, as he’s willing (and able) to take on just about any defensive assignment that’s given to him. He’s been asked to defend guards, wings and even the occasional big man, and the junior has not backed down from a challenge yet. Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins are both double-digit scorers, with the former being a reliable option both on and off the ball and the latter a promising wing who’s a better shooter than he’s shown thus far (34.2% FG, 30.2% 3PT).

To be fair to Wiggins he isn’t the only one struggling to make perimeter shots on a consistent basis, and that may be the biggest issue for Maryland at this stage of the season. While the Terps are just outside of the top-50 nationally in three-point attempts (273), their percentage of 30.8% ranks 269th. And when just over 40% of your field goal attempts are three-pointers, that’s a problem. The good news for Maryland is that the majority of the three-pointers are being attempted by players who are capable of making those shots, with Wiggins (63 attempts), Cowan (58) and Ayala (56) leading the way.

Whether or not those three can get going from distance will be a major storyline for Maryland, especially when the team returns to conference play and quality shot opportunities are tougher to come by. Because without dependable perimeter shooting, it becomes more difficult for Jalen Smith to operate in the post.

The good news for Maryland when it comes to the team’s perimeter shooting struggles is that they’ve managed to create a lot of extra possessions. The Terps rank tenth nationally in offensive rebounds and 29th in offensive rebounding percentage, as they’ve managed to rebound 35.4% of their missed shots. Smith (offensive rebound percentage of 14.6%) and Ricky Lindo (12.5) have led the way on the offensive glass, while Donta Scott and Makhi Mitchell have been productive as well. And in Maryland’s two conference games they rebounded at least 30% of their missed shots (30.0% vs. Illinois, 37.8% at Penn State).

Lastly on the offensive end there has to be a discussion, as has tended to be the case in recent years. Overall Maryland’s turnover percentage of 14.3% isn’t bad, and it’s an improvement on the number that they produced last season (16.5%). But in the loss to Penn State turnovers were an issue, as just over 22 percent of Maryland’s possessions ended in a turnover. Give Penn State credit for its work on the defensive end, as their guards can get after opponents due to their athleticism and the fact that they have a solid rim protector in Mike Watkins backing them up. Turnovers haven’t been as problematic as they have been in seasons past, which is a good sign heading into the final games of non-conference play.

Defensively Maryland has been more effective turning opponents over, as teams have turned the ball over on 17.4% of their possessions thus far. The perimeter depth at Turgeon’s disposal has allowed for more pressure looks, and Maryland has done a good job of defending without fouling as well. Heading into Thursday’s matchup with Seton Hall, opponents have a free throw rate of just 15.4%, a number that places Maryland among the top 50 teams in college basketball in that statistical category. Overall the Terps have been solid on the defensive glass but there have been outliers, specifically the wins over Rhode Island and Temple.

URI, which shot less than 30% from the field back on November 9, rebounded more than 35% of its missed shots while Temple corralled nearly 39% of its missed shots. The Owls also struggled with their overall shooting in that November 28 game in Orlando, making just 34.4% of their shots, so as was the case with Rhode Island the available number of misses played a role in that offensive rebounding percentage. Shoring things up on the glass may be the biggest key for Maryland, with the hope being that some of the team’s younger bigs can step up and assist Smith on a consistent basis.

Overall Maryland’s gotten off to a very good start this season, winning its first ten games before losing its conference road opener. And there’s no shame in that, as evidenced by how much Big Ten road teams have struggled in those opening league games. If anything, it shows why many power conference coaches look to avoid playing a lot of early-season games in true road environments. Maryland will have such a game Thursday night in Newark, but with Myles Powell and Sandro Mamukelashvili both sidelined due to injury the Seton Hall matchup has turned into one that the Terps shouldn’t lose regardless of the environment. That being said, expect to see a desperate home team at the Prudential Center given their slow (when compared to preseason expectations) start.

Raphielle Johnson
Raphielle Johnson

BSL Analyst

Raphielle’s been writing about college sports for more than a decade, making the move to college basketball alone in 2013. Beginning his work with the former website CollegeHoops.net in 2003, Raphielle spent 3 years writing for NBCSports.com beginning 2013, covering CBB and the Olympics. In 2016, Raphielle joined Heavy.com. If there’s a game on, there’s a strong likelihood that he’s watching it.

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