Maryland Terrapins
Big Ten (27-6, 14-4)
Maryland has had a resurgence in head coach Mark Turgeon’s fourth season in College Park. After three years of mediocre basketball, the Terps have found a nice mixture of players to lead them to their first 20-win season since 2009-2010. A switch in conference affiliation has certainly aided them. Star power and depth are Turgeon’s biggest assets heading into the postseason.
Big Wins: 11/25 vs Iowa State (72-63), 12/30 at Michigan State (68-66), 2/24 Wisconsin (59-53)
Bad Losses: 1/7 at Illinois (57-64), 1/22 at Indiana (70-89), 2/8 at Iowa (55-71)
Coach: Mark Turgeon
Why They Can Surprise:
Maryland will go as far as their star freshman point guard Melo Trimble takes them. Turgeon has recruited well since he has been at Maryland, but this class has been his best in terms of production. Trimble is the main reason. He leads the team in points, assists and steals. Most importantly, he gets to the free-throw line at will. He is in the top 25 in the nation in free-throw percentage (87%). That is Maryland’s game: get to the foul line. They shoot 75.7% as a team, and it is a big reason they were in second in the Big Ten all season long. There is depth on this team as well. Turgeon can play as many as ten guys in a single game. Also, senior Dez Wells’ ability to hit a clutch shot at the end of games should not go overlooked. He has single-handedly won two games for them this season.
Why They Can Disappoint:
While Maryland has been a nice surprise, they are not particularly great in any one area with the exception of free-throw shooting. They hardly outscore anybody and their defense can lapse in certain games. Away from home, the Terps are not as impressive as they are at home. They have gotten blown out multiple times in conference road games. The important aspect for them is defending the perimeter. They have been sunk by teams hitting big shots behind the arc throughout the regular season. It could be an early exit if they do not lock down on defense.
Probable Starters:
Melo Trimble, Freshman, Guard, 16.3 ppg, 3.1 apg
Jared Nickens, Freshman, Guard, 5.8 ppg
Dez Wells, Senior, Guard-Forward, 15.4 ppg, 2.8 apg, 5.4 rpg
Jake Layman, Junior, Forward, 12.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Demonte Dodd, Sophomore, Center, 3.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Richaud Pack, Senior, Guard, 6.1 ppg, 1.2 apg
Dion Wiley, Freshman, Guard, 4.2 ppg
Evan Smotrycz, Senior, Forward,4.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Jon Graham, Senior, Forward,2.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.7 (112th in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.1 (89, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.9 (151, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.6 (36, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.3 (73, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.0 (66, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.7 (12, 2)
Rebound Margin: 1.7 (122, 7)
Assists Per Game: 10.8 (287, 11)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.0 (115, 9)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NIT First Round win over Niagara
2013 NIT Second Round win over Denver
2013 NIT Quarterfinal win over Alabama
2013 NIT Semifinal loss to Iowa
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Houston
2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Michigan State
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over California
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Memphis
2008 NIT First Round win over Minnesota
2008 NIT Second Round loss to Syracuse
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Davidson
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Butler
2006 NIT First Round loss to Manhattan
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
