Maryland Basketball: Terps wakeup call vs. Clemson was necessary

Maryland basketball (4-1) looked like a shell of itself against the Clemson Tigers (4-0). That is a good thing.

The great Mike Tyson once said everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Maryland Basketball got hit with a two-piece combo without the biscuit and drink against the Tigers Wednesday afternoon during their ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup.

After just scoring 15 points. Yes, 15 points in the first half. That was their lowest first-half point total since 2013 in the 54-47 loss to the Miami Hurricanes. Maryland basketball Head Coach Mark Turgeon was not happy with the team’s ability to share the basketball according to 247Sports’ Jeff Ermann.

“We were about as selfish as any one of our teams has ever played, so we got a lot of work to do. It’s early in the season,” Turgeon said.

It’s difficult to win on the road. Home energy, most of the time, doesn’t travel well so the road team has to be able to play mistake-free basketball. Clemson forced 15 turnovers and jumped out to an early 7-2 lead that ballooned from there. The Tigers also benefited from having close to 2,000 fans in Littlejohn Coliseum.

Aamir Simms couldn’t be stopped as he finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Al-Amir Dawes, John Newman III, and Nick Honor combined for 34 points. Clemson’s 67-51 victory over the Terps was a function of Maryland’s poor ball security and lack of three-point shooting success.

The highlights are below. Look away if you must.

Maryland basketball lost an opportunity to get a key non-conference victory on the road. All is not lost; they will move on from this.

It starts with the core leadership group (Darryl Morsell, Eric Ayala, Aaron Wiggins, Donta Scott) bringing more energy on the road. They have to settle the team down. When things get tough as they always do, it’s up to them to be coaches on the floor and make the proper adjustments.

No aspersions are being cast on those guys at all, but poor performance is poor performance. This was a game where all of them could’ve sent a message that the Terps didn’t deserve their low preseason Big Ten ranking and the AP poll votes they received.

Scott was the only double-figure scorer for the Terps with 11 points, six rebounds, three blocks, and a steal. His improvement from year one to year two has been great to see. He has been a bright spot for them early in his sophomore campaign.

I know this piece seems as though I’m coming down hard on the Terps. I’m not. They’re better than the performance they had against Clemson. I know they will learn from this. This game was a teaching moment.

This wake-up call was needed. It proves that a team can’t rest on the success it has at home and come out flat on the road. A complete game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Monday is paramount for Maryland basketball. Their conference-only schedule begins with two games on the road against Purdue and Wisconsin. That is not going to be an easy task.