Six games in 13 days. Like it or not, that matters. Thats something betting sharps look at when looking for an edge. It helped explain why Penn State -- an unranked opponent -- came in favored over the No. 4 team in the country. While the home fans chanted overrated in the closing minutes of the Nittany Lions 76-68 upset win Tuesday night, Maryland wont be judged too harshly on this game alone after starting the season with 10 straight victories and surviving without a loss longer than 346 of college basketballs 353 D-I teams (No. 1 Louisville also went down to an unranked opponent tonight).
It was clear they once again didnt bring their A game to the Bryce Jordan Center, an arena that has witnessed a Terps loss four years in a row, and their recent stretch of games combined with Penn States physical play appeared to catch up to them, especially in the final seven minutes as they failed to hit a field goal down the stretch until there was 42 seconds to go. Still, it was a bit perplexing that Terps coach Mark Turgeon reasoned afterward that his team -- which returned seven of its top eight players from a year ago -- has just like five plays we can run at this point in the season.
Weve got a long ways to go offensively, and were struggling a bit, Turgeon said. Hopefully this will refocus us.
The game raised -- and highlighted -- a handful of red flags beyond that. For starters, the slow starts finally caught up to them. The Terps turned it over 12 times in the first 12 minutes as the Nittany Lions raced out to a double digit lead, and many of the giveaways were inexcusable, even when generously factoring in the apparent fatigue. They were the type of mental lapses that could be equated to a still relatively young team feeling a little too confident after recovering from a 15-point deficit to win its Big Ten opener over Illinois Saturday night.
Maryland made far too many lackadaisical passes in the opening frame, and didnt have the legs on either end to repeat their late-game heroics after Anthony Cowans game-tying and game-sealing offensive and defensive plays saved them against the Illini three days earlier. Its hard to ignore the slow-start problem given that it extends back to last year, but Turgeon hasnt expressed much concern publicly, choosing instead to once again laud his team for not sharing the ball well enough tonight, pointing to over-dribbling as the leading cause for the early dysfunction.
We wanted to lead the country in dribbling tonight, he said.
What exacerbated the problems Tuesday night, though, was the Terps lack of depth. Freshman center Makhi Mitchell made his fifth start Tuesday night, but finished scoreless for the third straight game. Ricky Lindo provided solid energy in relief but was pushed around by Penn States frontline, while Serrel Smith and Hakim Hart rode the bench for the entirety of the second half. This is an area where Maryland could improve later in the season if Donta Scott continues to improve and Chol Marial measures up to Turgeons seemingly wishful expectations, but the early returns raise concerns whether any of the Mitchell twins, Lindo, Hart and Serrel Smith are ready to add positive value on a consistent basis this year.
As Turgeon put it, our young guys looked young tonight.
Maryland couldve used another guard off the bench, too, as Eric Ayala, who led the team with 11 points and two assists in the first half, was slowed by cramps and played just 10 minutes in the second. Cowan finished with a team-high 16 points, but was pestered all game long by Big Ten steals leader Jamari Wheeler, turning it over four times and making just five of his 17 field goal attempts. Aaron Wiggins shooting slump, meanwhile, continued -- he shot just 3-12 from the field and 1-6 from three -- while Mike Watkins (15 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks) outplayed Jalen Smith (12 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks) on the block.
As the Terps have found out time and again, Penn State isnt the type of team you want to face as when youre fatigued. Theyre physical, deep and their guards, while not overly talented, push the pace and pressure the ball non-stop. Sophomore guard Izaiah Brockington, who was a starter on the St. Bonaventure team that upset Maryland two years ago, had three steals off the bench. Myles Dread and Myron Jones also poked the ball away a couple of times apiece. Penn State beat up Maryland inside as well. Smith fared well against Lamar Stevens last year, but with Bruno Fernando gone he was forced to guard Watkins, who is nearly five years older and 20 pounds heavier than him.
He looked a step or two slow on rotations almost the entire game, and made just two field goals inside the arc. Stevens matched Watkins in scoring and added 10 rebounds, feasting on Lindo and Scott, whom Turgeon (perhaps regrettably) decided were better options on the 6-foot-8 matchup nightmare than Morsell. Penn State shot 12 percent better than Maryland from inside the arc.
They might have been shaving before my guys were even born, Turgeon joked of Penn States frontcourt.
Morsell started slow after coming off the bench -- he had three early turnovers -- but hit a crucial three to cut the lead to five with less than 12 to go and finished with eight points. Turgeons decision to deploy Lindo and Scott on Stevens led to Marylands five best players -- Cowan, Ayala, Wiggins, Morsell and Jalen Smith -- sharing the court for less than a minute. Its clear Turgeon is still trying to figure out the rotations, but hell probably want to avoid that happening again. Tuesday night doesnt speak to what the Terps can accomplish this season, but it did highlight problems with the teams rotations and depth, especially in the frontcourt.
Turgeon doesnt trust Hart or Serrel Smith enough to play four-guard lineups the entire game, but at the same time a second big hasnt stepped up next to Jalen Smith in the frontcourt. Turgeon went with Morsell at the four in the first month of the season against a schedule that featured mainly undersized teams, but there will be plenty of more frontcourt-heavy teams like Penn State that will force Turgeons hand over the next three months. Playing Morsell alongside Jalen Smith still might be the best option, but its probably safe to say at least one of Lindo, Hart, Marial and the Mitchell twins will have to step up if Maryland wants to handle the day-to-day grind of the Big Ten schedule and compete for a conference championship.
We have a long ways to go as a team and sometimes when you keep winning you dont realize it. Coaches do, Turgeon said, but hopefully tonight because of the loss our guys will realize that we have a ways to go to get where we need to be.
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