NCAA Basketball: Nebraska, Maryland, and UNLV headlines Sunday Mailbag
By Bryan Mauro
Why are people so high on Maryland? – Big Phil (@HOHBigPhil)
This is a very interesting question and its answer is going to get mixed reviews. The Terrapins added some tremendous transfers in the offseason and when they worked those players into what head coach Mark Turgeon already had returning and you have a roster that is extremely deep and should compete in the top three of the Big Ten.
The Terrapins were one of the best defensive teams in the country last year, and they did lose the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in Darryl Morsell but they have so many other pieces returning like Eric Ayala, Hakim Hart, and big man Donta Scott those players made up the core last year and are going to be big pieces this year.
The two key transfers that were added brought about mixed feelings from many fans. Fatts Russell who is a transfer from Rhode Island and Qudus Wahab, a transfer from Georgetown are the two players who have helped the roster stay extremely competitive for coach Turgeon.
Russell is a player who can score and is extremely streaky. He never seemed to fit in with was Maryland was going to do because he was a high-volume shooter at Rhode Island and he didn’t shoot the ball with an extremely high percentage. Through two games he has fit in perfectly with the Terrapins are doing on offense and they could really use his scoring and defensive ability. Russell is currently shooting just under 50% and is leading the team with 17 points per game. It is only three games but this is what he was expected to do.
Wahab makes Maryland a completely different team this year. The big man was one of the main reasons that Georgetown made the NCAA tournament a season ago. He is an extremely skilled big man and is currently averaging close to a double-double and has locked down the paint for Maryland.