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Big Ten Basketball Preview: #10 Maryland Terrapins

By Alex Miller

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Our Big Ten preview continues with our number ten team, Maryland. The Terrapins finished last year 17-15 with a 9-9 record in their final trip through the ACC. The Terps have yet to make the NCAA tournament under 4th year head coach Mark Turgeon and some say he could be on the hot seat should Maryland fail to make the dance. Can Maryland find a way to make the tournament in their inaugural season in the Big Ten?

Key Losses

To put it mildly, it was a rocky offseason for Maryland – all five of the players who left, did so via transfers. Yes, you read that right, five transfers in one offseason, a substantial amount. Faust, Peters, Cleare, and Allen all transferred from the program in early May. Of those, the loss of Seth Allen dealt the biggest blow to the Terps tournament hopes this season. As a sophomore, Allen missed the nonconference portion of the schedule due to a foot injury, but he played incredibly well upon his return to the lineup. He averaged 13.4 ppg and 3.0 apg while improving his field goal %, 3 point %, free throw %, and lowering his turnover rate from his freshman campaign.

Faust averaged 9.4 ppg as a junior, but didn’t really show an improvement over his sophomore and freshman seasons. At times he was wild with his shot selection and wasn’t the most efficient, making only 38.4% of his shots.

Mitchell was Maryland’s only true post presence last year grabbing 6.5 rpg and scoring 6.3 ppg. Mitchel’s offensive rebounding rate ranked 12th in the country and his defensive rebounding rate was 82nd – by far the best rebounder Maryland had.

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Key Newcomers

Helping to replace the players who transferred out, are two players who transferred in along with a top-20 recruiting class.

Robert Carter transferred in from Georgia Tech, and will sit out this season, but he should make a big impact for Maryland next season. Richaud Pack however, will be eligible this upcoming season and figures to back up both of the guard positions. Pack averaged 17.0 ppg last season at North Carolina A&T.

The most important newcomer, however is without question, G Melo Trimble. Trimble was a McDonalds All American in high school, the first Maryland player to appear in that game since Mike Jones in 2003. Trimble will be the starting PG and has already been named to the Cousy Award watch list for best PG in the country.

Wiley, Nickens, and Cekovsky aren’t slouches, either. All three are consensus 4 star prospects and will contribute eventually, although don’t expect a ton of production from them this season.

Starting Lineup

Maryland’s season will only go as far as Dez Wells can take them. He led the team in scoring with 14.9 ppg, free throw shooting at 81%, blocks, was 2nd in assists and steals, and 4th in rebounding. By all accounts, Wells is Maryland’s best player and should be in the running for an All-Big Ten type season.

Smotrycz and Layman are the other two returning starters on the roster. Smotrycz, who spent his first year in College Park after transferring from Michigan, and will sit out the first month due to a foot injury, was a good but inconsistent shooter and a solid rebounder last season averaging 11 ppg and 6 rpg. His erratic shooting made it feel as if he disappeared on the offensive end, and he won’t wow you with his defense – he’s especially poor at help defense. Layman is very similar to Smotrycz in that he’s also an inconsistent shooter. He put up roughly the same numbers as Smotrycz averaging 11.7 ppg, and 5 rpg but he is a better defender.

The lack of experienced depth and a true post presence will be the undoing of this team. Mitchell’s departure created a gaping hole at the 5 spot. Dodd is slated to take over the starting job, but he had trouble staying on the court last year with foul issues. If he can’t avoid foul trouble, I’d expect to see a lot of Cekovsky, the 7’1″ incoming recruit. I don’t see Maryland shooting the ball well enough from the perimeter to draw the defense out and make it easier for the big men to operate either.

The Terps should struggle on the glass with the loss of Mitchell, and with so many new faces and a freshman PG, I could see Maryland struggling early. But the Terps haven’t had a true PG in quite some time, so if Trimble can prove he’s the real deal, not only with his ability to score, but his ability to distribute and get others like Dez Wells involved, this could certainly be a team that can make the NCAA tournament and will be on the bubble all year long.

Take a look at our other Big Ten previews!

11. Purdue

12. Northwestern

13. Penn State

14. Rutgers

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