At the end of January, Maryland appeared to be well-positioned to make a run at the program’s first Big Ten regular season title, as they were 8-1 in league play and 20-2 overall. With Melo Trimble playing at a high level and freshmen Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter and Justin Jackson all contributing as well, it appeared as if Mark Turgeon’s team could end up being a factor nationally as well.
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Then February happened, and as a result the Terps find themselves focused more on snapping out of a slump than making a run at a Big Ten title.
With Purdue ahead by two games and Wisconsin one entering the final week of the regular season, Maryland is in a position where it will need a lot of help if they’re to achieve that goal. More important at this time is holding onto a top four seed and the double-bye in the Big Ten tournament that comes with it, as both Minnesota and Michigan State have moved into a tie for third (with Maryland) at 10-6. Maryland’s dropped three straight and five of its last seven games, and recently the Terps have looked like a team running on fumes.
In the month of February, Maryland has shot 42.8 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three, numbers that are below what they’ve produced on the season as a whole (44.8 percent FG, 36.8 percent 3FG). A solid perimeter shooting team for much of this season, Maryland’s hit a wall of sorts in that department and at times has settled for those shots as opposed to working for quality looks inside of the arc. In Saturday’s 83-69 loss to Iowa 34 of the 58 field goals attempted by Maryland were three-pointers, with Iowa’s zone defenses causing confusion on a consistent basis. That, combined with a tempo that favored the visitors, spelled doom for Maryland.
Individually speaking, Maryland’s best scoring options have seen their percentages drop as well. Trimble, despite averaging 17.6 points and 4.1 assists per game in February, shot 40.8 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from three in the seven games played. Jackson, who reached double figures just two times in February, shot 35.8 percent from the field (31.0 percent from two) and 41.7 percent from three. Cowan (31.5 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from three) and Huerter (39.1 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three) have also struggled, with Maryland’s offensive efficiency taking a hit as a result.
Losing a member of the front court rotation in Michal Cekovsky doesn’t help matters for Maryland, leaving Damonte Dodd and Ivan Bender (LG Gill has played 15 minutes in each of the last two games) to hold down the fort. But even with a full allotment of post players, the big men were still going to be used mostly in ball screen situations with the occasional post-up mixed in. Dodd and Bender can at times be effective offensively in that role, as well as offensive rebounds, but Maryland will only go as far as their quartet of double-digit scorers can take them.
And with all four not being as efficient as they were earlier in the season, it should come as no surprise that Maryland has struggled.
Defensive rebounding, which has been a problem this season as the Terps rank 279th in defensive rebounding percentage per kenpom.com, was also a problem during the 2-5 run. While Maryland did manage to produce some solid efforts on the defensive glass, grabbing at least 71 percent of their opponents’ misses in four games, the other three efforts fell below 70 percent with all three occurring in the last five games. The worst showing was the 55 percent mark posted in the loss at Wisconsin, with Maryland rebounding just 66.7 percent of Iowa’s misses in Saturday’s defeat.
From a percentage standpoint, Bender (18.1 percent), Huerter (16.5) and Jackson (16.3) have been Maryland’s best rebounders on the defensive end of the floor. But ending possessions with a rebound has been a group responsibility, as Maryland doesn’t have a truly elite rebounder. That’s been a problem of late, and those extra possessions add up over the course of a game.
With two games left on the schedule, at Rutgers and then Michigan State at home in the regular season finale, Maryland still has the inside track to a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament. But in order to take advantage of the opportunity, the Terps have to clean things up on both ends of the floor.
Stats from Basketball Reference and kenpom.com.
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.