Big Ten Basketball: One big question for every team entering 2019-20

Maryland: Can Jalen Smith take the next step?

Smith, a 6’10, 215-pound matchup nightmare, was to the Terrapins last year what Oturu was to Minnesota. Like Oturu, he spent his freshman season working alongside a more established, physically developed forward in Bruno Fernando, and now is primed to take the next step with the post all to himself.

There’s no question Smith has everything it takes to do so. The McDonald’s All-American scored (11.7 points per game), flashed an ability to score from outside (19 three-pointers), cleaned the glass on both ends (6.8 boards, 2.7 of them offensive) and blocked shots (1.2 per game). But that all came in a complementary role next to Fernando. He was, on occasion, pushed around down low, shot just 26 percent from deep and didn’t reach double-figure scoring in almost a third of Maryland’s contests.

Considering Smith’s role on the team, however, it’s hard to hold those deficiencies against him. The hype was real, yes, but it also came with room for improvement. That’s normal, and it’s scary for the Big Ten, considering what a more-polished Smith, maybe the best raw athlete in the conference, has the potential to do.

The Terrapins’ predicted finish has almost everything to do with Smith realizing his tantalizing potential. It’s his time now.

Michigan State: How do the Spartans work Joshua Langford back in?

“Having Cassius Winston” was only the second-biggest reason the Spartans advanced to the Final Four last year. The biggest? Their ability to respond to losing key contributors.

Now they’ll have to prove just as adept at dealing with the opposite: getting one of them back.

With the departure of Miles Bridges, 2018-19 was all set up to be Joshua Langford’s year. And for a while, it was — until it wasn’t. Langford was averaging 15 points on 44 percent shooting when in a win over Northern Illinois on Dec. 29, he suffered an ankle injury. He didn’t play again.

One might automatically assume the Spartans will improve just with Langford back, but there are lots of things to consider here. Langford’s shot-making ability is unparalleled when he’s fully healthy. But per Izzo, he’s not, and may not be for a while. He’s also fought a tendency of taking inefficient long 2-pointers his whole career. And Michigan State is unquestionably Winston’s team now, anyway. Everything runs through Winston, and there may not be much room for the old Langford’s playing style.

For the Spartans to defend their conference title, they’ll need Langford to find a balance between what he was last season, and what his team needs most out of him right now.