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Maryland Basketball: Terps young core still a strength in recent struggles

By Anthony Brown

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 21: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins gives instructions to his players during a game against the Michigan State Spartans in the first half at Breslin Center on January 21, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 21: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins gives instructions to his players during a game against the Michigan State Spartans in the first half at Breslin Center on January 21, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – DECEMBER 06: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins and bench protest after a call during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on December 6, 2018 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – DECEMBER 06: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins and bench protest after a call during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on December 6, 2018 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Despite the recent efforts, No. 21 Maryland basketball (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten) has their 2018 recruiting class to thank for all they have accomplished.

Before I get into how the young core has been a force for the Terps, their three-game stretch needs to be discussed.

Did Maryland basketball hit a wall against No. 6 Michigan State? They did. They faced a more experienced, well-coach team on the road. The Breslin Center is not a comfortable place to play in if you’re the road team.

Cassius Winston said that he wanted to be the better guard on the floor when the two teams played, and he was. He set the tone for the Spartans with his 14 points and seven assists along with his defense, holding Anthony Cowan Jr. to only seven points and five assists.

Maryland’s youth did get exposed in that game.

Against the Illinois Illini, they needed a bounce-back game to get the sour taste out of their mouth. What they got was out hustled. The Illini forced 21 turnovers, 13 of which were steals. No team in college basketball is going to win when you give the ball away like that.

Fortunately, for Mark Turgeon and his team, they bounced back against the Northwestern Wildcats, winning 70-52 behind solid production out of Bruno Fernando (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Jalen Smith (14 points, nine rebounds). Cowan Jr., Eric Ayala, and Darryl Morsell combined for 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as a trio.

They desperately needed this win. The defense was key for them as they held the Wildcats to 31 percent shooting from the field (18-of-58) and 21.7 percent from behind the arc (5-of-23). The most important thing that the Terps did was cut their turnovers in half from the previous game with 11.

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