Busting Brackets
Fansided

Maryland Basketball: Takeaways from big defeat on the road to Iowa

By Michael Walton

COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - JANUARY 07: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins motions to his players during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Xfinity Center on January 07, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - JANUARY 07: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins motions to his players during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Xfinity Center on January 07, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
COLLEGE PARK, MD – DECEMBER 29: Ikenna Ndugba #0 of the Bryant University Bulldogs shoots in front of Donta Scott #24 of the Maryland Terrapins (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD – DECEMBER 29: Ikenna Ndugba #0 of the Bryant University Bulldogs shoots in front of Donta Scott #24 of the Maryland Terrapins (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

The perimeter defense is wilting

Maryland basketball came into this game on a three-game winning streak where they were holding opponents to a paltry 61.3 points per game. Their defense–currently ranked 7th in the nation in defensive efficiency per KenPom–has come crashing down against the Hawkeyes.

Yes, the Terps only allowed 67 points in Friday’s loss to Iowa but they allowed the Hawkeyes to shoot a sizzling 39.1% from the 3-point line, with five of their nine makes from deep coming from Joe Wisekamp. All night Wisekamp was able to find pockets of space in the defense for good looks. Overall all of Iowa’s shooters were too comfortable all night.

The Maryland guards did a solid job of fighting through screens and using the “lock-and-trail” strategy, but they were way too casual in their efforts to jump out to the perimeter to get a good shot contest. Iowa’s shooters deserve a ton of credit as they did a great job of relocating after passing the ball. But as alluded to previously, it is a lot easier to generate open 3-point shots when you posses a post player as talented as Luka Garza but more on that later.

Though Maryland basketball forced Iowa into 18 turnovers, Iowa finished with 16 assists, five more than the Terrapins. The Hawkeyes had many possessions that involved a bevy of passes, many cuts and screens, and patience from everyone on the floor. The Terrapins have to be ready to defend teams that will make them work considerably within the full 30-second shot clock.

Anthony Cowan Jr. had easily his worst game of the season, going 2-for-10 from the field for nine points, but his defense was maybe as bad. Cowan’s closeouts were a step late often, as were the closeouts of Maryland basketball guards Eric Ayala and Darryl Morsell. That being said, Cowan did make one particularly nice effort play that deserves credit though it didn’t have much of an impact on the final score.

https://twitter.com/TerrapinHoops/status/1215794127012532231

All things considered, there is no shame in losing to a very tough Iowa team on the road. But on a night where no one was getting any easy baskets, a little bit more effort on defense could’ve slowed down the 14-0 Iowa run that blew this game wide open heading into the half.

Home/Maryland Terrapins