Last year, the Maryland Terrapins were viewed as a team with national championship potential. Maryland got a lot of preseason buzz as a team with top-five capabilities and a lot of high-end talent from underclassmen. The arrival of big-time recruit Diamond Stone was supposed to give the Terps a huge lift. The idea of Stone meshing with point guard Melo Trimble and Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter was supposed to make the team deep and balanced at all positions. However, the personalities on the team just didn’t seem to fit. Maryland’s talent carried it a long way, long enough to get to the Sweet 16. However, top-seeded Kansas was way too good for the Turtles in that regional semifinal, and Maryland’s most optimistic season in years fell multiple rounds short of the Final Four. The season wasn’t a total bust, but it wasn’t nearly as good or as satisfying as it could have and should have been. Now, Maryland will try to reload for the new season. Let’s see what will be different in 2017.
Biggest Team Weakness
The weakness is something that is able to be observed in some ways, but is intangible in others. It never quite seemed that Maryland was a fully cohesive team last season. There weren’t out-and-out fights or squabbles, but the new players – Stone as a freshman, Carter as a senior – didn’t feel comfortable in the presence of the regulars on the roster. Another one of Maryland’s transfers last season was Rasheed Sulaimon, who ran into personal problems at Duke and just wanted another place to play basketball. He did not fit that well on the team either, creating a situation in which five players were trying to do their individual thing instead of banding together for a larger cause. Head coach Mark Turgeon looked flustered at many times as he tried to bring this team into a more cohesive state of being. He ultimately failed.
If there is anything which can be at least a little more observable or measurable about this team’s weakness, it’s on the glass. Carter and Stone both got outworked more than they should have last season, but they were still very big and very wide. Even when they weren’t at their best, they provided real value as rebounders and defenders. Not having either of those two men will put a limit on Maryland’s ceiling this season.
Biggest Team Strength
What’s strong about this team is Melo Trimble. He is a magical point guard with the defense, the handle, the quickness, the explosive first step, the dribble-drive elegance, and a scorer’s finishing touch which make him one of the best players in the country. His jump shot broke down late last season, but if he can fix that problem, he’ll win a lot of games for this team and give it a great shot of making and perhaps surpassing the Sweet 16.
Maryland Terrapins Roster
Anthony Cowan
Jaylen Brantley
Melo Trimble
Kevin Huerter
Dion Wiley
L.G. Gill
Jared Nickens
Ivan Bender
Michal Cekovsky
Travis Valmon
Justin Jackson
Micah Thomas
Andrew Terrell
Kent Auslander
Joshua Tomaic
Damonte Dodd
Maryland Terrapins Schedule
The Big Ten is a nasty conference. Michigan State, Wisconsin and Indiana will all be really good. Iowa and Ohio State and Michigan will not be easy. This is a terrible schedule, but the good part is that wins in these games will considerably prove Maryland’s resume is legit.
vs American
@ Georgetown
vs St. Mary’s (MD)
vs Towson
vs Stony Brook
vs Richmond*
vs Pittsburgh
vs Oklahoma State
vs Howard
vs Saint Peter’s
vs Jacksonville State
vs Charlotte*
vs Illinois
vs Nebraska
@ Michigan
vs #11 Indiana
@ Illinois
@ Iowa
vs Rutgers
@ Minnesota
@ Ohio State
vs #15 Purdue
@ Penn State
vs Ohio State
@ Northwestern
@ #9 Wisconsin
vs Minnesota
vs Iowa
@ Rutgers
vs #12 Michigan State
Outlook
Trimble returning to the Maryland Terrapins is big. Weirdly, losing Stone and Carter could help the Terps by paving the way for a big man who will get along with his teammates. The Terps will finish sixth in the Big Ten, and that’s not bad.
Projection: 6th in Big Ten
