Tag: Maryland Basketball

A key 2021 Wisconsin basketball target sets his decision day and his final four schools

One of the fastest rising players in the class of 2021 has narrowed his decision down to just four schools, and set the date and time for his commitment. James Graham III, who has exploded on the Wisconsin AAU scene over the past year with Wisconsin …

One of the fastest rising players in the class of 2021 has narrowed his decision down to just four schools, and set the date and time for his commitment.

James Graham III, who has exploded on the Wisconsin AAU scene over the past year with Wisconsin Playground Club, is set to make a decision on Monday, August 17 at 10 AM central time according to his Twitter.

The Badgers are joined by Auburn, Maryland, and Memphis in the 6-8 small forward’s final four.

Graham is a 6-8 SF with a versatile skill set. The Milwaukee native plays for one of the top Wisconsin club programs in the state in Wisconsin Playground, and has already had an impressive start to his summer circuit.

According to Movement Hoops, Graham averaged 21 points per contest and hit 47 threes for Nicolet as a junior en route to a 22-3 overall record.

Graham has risen all the way up to No. 57 in the 247Sports 2021 class rankings.

The 6-8, athletic forward has a sweet stroke from the outside that forces defenses to step out and respect him. Either as a catch-and-shoot threat, or getting in his bag off the dribble, Graham has excellent range and a high release point on his jumper. The Wisconsin PGC stud feels like the modern forward. He runs the floor with ease, can pull up from anywhere on the hardwood, and finishes with authority at the rim. The Nicolet star also showed flashes of his passing ability out a face-up or post-up during his junior year.

In terms of his recruitment, Maryland is the heavy 247Sports “crystal ball” favorite. Seven 247Sports analysts have all projected that Graham ends up with the Terrapins.

Wisconsin fans should stay tuned on Monday morning for a decision from one of the top players in the Badger state.

 

Why the Maryland Terrapins will win the 2020 NCAA Tournament

Why the Maryland Terrapins will win the 2020 NCAA Tournament.

Out of the hard-fought Big Ten battles from this winter emerges a beast from the East and a blast from the past. A perfect team – they are not. However, coming out of one of the best and most hotly contested leagues this season, the Maryland Terrapins (24-7) are worthy of a look to win the second NCAA Tournament championship in program history. The Terps’ 2002 title was the mantelpiece of a run that saw Maryland get to the Sweet 16 seven times in 10 years (1994-2003).

Here are three good reasons why the 11th-ranked (USA Today Sports Coaches Poll) Maryland Terrapins will win the 2020 NCAA Tournament.

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Battle-tested

Maryland went 14-6 over 20 regular-season Big Ten games. No less than five conference foes (Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin) in the Coaches Poll were in the Terps’ way. Throw in Michigan, Penn State, Purdue and Rutgers as other worthy top 25s – all are well-placed on popular computer rankings heading into conference tournament play. Big road wins late in the season – at Minnesota, Michigan State and Illinois – are the kind that can roll a team into late March with a ton of confidence.

Youth led by a veteran guard

Senior G Anthony Cowan is a solid two-way player who can distribute and get to the foul line and score on offense, play exceptional defense, and give the Terrapins 35 minutes per game. The veteran guard leads a squad comprised of super sophs – Jalen Smith (15.5 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game), Aaron Wiggins (10.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG), Eric Ayala (8.5 PPG), impact freshman – Donta Scott and a linchpin junior – Darryl Morsell – who complements Maryland’s efforts at both ends of the floor. The Terrapins are a young team that plays with high energy but at a tempo under their control.

Well-built for bracket play

The Terrapins’ game includes components well built a long bracket run. Maryland takes a lot of undefended 15-footers each game – the Terps rank second in the Big Ten, with 21.6 free-throw attempts per contest. Maryland hoists a lot of shots from beyond the three-point arc – they are better away from home in their success rate on those shots and have performed well in recent contests against top-20 foes. The Terps are also one of the top teams in the nation when it comes to finishing at the rim. They take care of the basketball, allowing fewer breakdown buckets off turnovers than most teams that will be in the tournament. It all makes for efficiency and variety on offense. On defense, Maryland has held opponents to a 38-percent mark from the floor. The Terrapins are exceptional at keeping foes from scoring near the rim. The 6-foot-10 Jalen Smith is a big factor in the paint. His 2.4 blocks per game will be among the highest averages for any player in the tournament, and it’s clear that he affects twice as many shots as he swats.

Maryland has made just one Sweet 16 in the last 15 years (2016), but the 2019-20 Terrapins are built to win different types of games and perhaps go all the way.

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Micah Potter should be the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year

First things first, let us not take anything away from the impact that Aaron Wiggins has had at Maryland. Wiggins was named the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year on Monday, and helped lead the Terps to a co-Big Ten regular season title. The sophomore …

First things first, let us not take anything away from the impact that Aaron Wiggins has had at Maryland. Wiggins was named the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year on Monday, and helped lead the Terps to a co-Big Ten regular season title. The sophomore combo guard finished the year averaging 10.4 points per game to go along with nearly five rebounds, and is coming off of an excellent month. The North Carolina native lead Maryland in scoring in back-to-back games against Ohio State and Minnesota during the final week of February. This argument is a reflection of how well Micah Potter played rather than taking anything away from the significant impact of Wiggins for the Terrapins.

With that being said, Micah Potter completely deserves this award. A common first thought about why the Ohio State transfer did not come away with the hardware could be games missed. This award, however, is only indicative of conference performance and Potter only missed two conference games out of the 20. Not only was he an energy-providing stretch big for this team, but he was also one of the key differences between a team that started conference play with a loss at Rutgers (this loss did not turn out to look so bad), and a team that ended the year as co-Big Ten regular season champions. Once Kobe King left the program, Potter, for matchup reasons, was inserted into the starting lineup for a total of three Big Ten games including the Badger win at Indiana. Despite those three games, the Ohio native’s main role was as a key contributor off the pine. Now let’s break it down statistically.

There are certain arguments with Potter and Wiggins that cancel each other out. They both averaged right around ten points per contest, Potter had a slight edge in the rebounding category as a big, their teams both won the same amount of conference games, and they each had games where they led their respective squads to w’s. One major separating factor, however, is how Potter and Wiggins individually got their respective numbers. For the Badger big man, efficiency was incredibly high in conference play. Potter shot an incredible 48.9% from beyond the arc, nearly 55% on all field goals, and 83% from the line. He did all of that while only playing nearly 19 minutes per game. Potter only played in three games that were not conference clashes. He did not make a three in those three games, and he averaged just under five points a game. The Mentor, Ohio product elevated his game, got his legs under him, and did damage in conference play.

Wiggins, on the flip side, got to his numbers in a much less efficient way. In conference play, the sophomore guard shot just 38% from the field and a bit under 32% from distance. His scoring average actually dropped slightly down to 10.0 points per conference game in comparison to the non-conference slate. Additionally, Wiggins played nearly eight more minutes than the Badger big man on average in conference play. In college basketball terms, Wiggins has not actually been incredibly inefficient. Once again, this is an argument about the incredible efficiency of Potter in conference play.

Had Maryland and Wisconsin’s records been significantly different, which at the beginning of February looked likely, it would have made sense to reward winning and therefore reward Wiggins. With these two teams tied at 14-6 in the conference after an eight-game Wisconsin winning streak? It’s truly hard to see how Potter did not come away with a well-deserved trophy.

Michigan State romp over Maryland leaves Big Ten up in the air

Big Ten craziness

When the Michigan State Spartans authoritatively defeated the Maryland Terrapins in College Park on Saturday night, they left the Big Ten championship race up in the air. Maryland could have sealed the league title with a win. Instead, the Terps are now just one game ahead of three teams in a scramble for the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. If Maryland can’t sweep its last two games, we could easily have a split title this season.

Yet, the MSU win over Maryland left the Big Ten “up in the air” in ways which go beyond the conference standings. This result was more than just an act of dragging Maryland back to the pack and preventing the Terrapins from clinching the league title. This was a game which left everyone in college basketball wondering, “Was this a sign of Michigan State playing with familiar urgency under Tom Izzo late in the season, or was this a sign that Maryland isn’t a heavyweight team?”

It is hard to find a clear answer, and that is the ultimate sense in which the Big Ten is an uncertain place, one week before the conference tournament.

Yes, Michigan State looked strong in one game on one night, and yes, we have seen the Spartans come alive in March many times before after struggling in much of the regular season. Nevertheless, the Big Ten has been so up and down this season — with teams maxing out one night and then dropping stink bombs the next — that it is hard to have complete confidence in Michigan State’s win as an indication that the Spartans are ready to roll in March.

If anything, Michigan State’s March reputation is less relevant here than Maryland’s March reputation. The Terps have regularly fared poorly at the Big Ten Tournament. They have rarely done well in the NCAA Tournament under Mark Turgeon, a 2016 Sweet 16 appearance being their best result despite fielding numerous talented teams.

Will this MSU-Maryland result tell us more about the Spartans or the Terps in the coming days and weeks? We can all offer our answers, but the question doesn’t seem like an easy one to answer. This is why the state of the Big Ten is so muddled after 18 conference games. Not a whole lot feels safe, certain, or decided in this conference. That’s precisely why the Big Ten Tournament will be so interesting.

Michigan State vs. Maryland basketball round two statistical preview

No. 24 Michigan State hits the road looking for revenge against No. 9 Maryland.

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No. 24 Michigan State hits the road Saturday (8:00 EST, ESPN) looking for revenge on the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins in what is one of the biggest Big Ten games of the season. Maryland can clinch at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title with a win, while Michigan State can give their (and four other teams’) quest for the title a jump of life with a big road victory. College Gameday will be in College Park for this one and the Xfinity Center is going to be going absolutely hog wild with their team having a shot to clinch a title. This could very well be Michigan State’s toughest test of the year.

Let’s take a look at how these two teams match up from a statistical standpoint and where edges can perhaps be gleaned.

Advanced stats and ranks courtesy kenpom.com.

Overview

Michigan State: 19-9 overall, 11-6 Big Ten

-No. 7 in adjusted efficiency

-No. 22 in adjusted offense

-No. 13 in adjusted defense

-No. 100 in adjusted tempo

Maryland: 23-5 overall, 13-4 Big Ten

-No. 9 in adjusted efficiency

-No. 24 in adjusted offense

-No. 12 in adjusted defense

-No. 238 in adjusted tempo

These two teams are about as evenly matched as they come. Both have awesome defenses and really good offenses. Michigan State’s defense has been trending up the last month and their offense has been heading in the opposite direction. Maryland has held pretty steady on both sides of the ball all year. The Terps are coming off a nail-biting win on the road against Minnesota. They trailed all game, and by as much as 17, before coming back to win with a deep three pointer with less than two seconds left. That shot and win could very well serve as a catalyst to this team’s closing stretch.

When these two matched up just two weeks ago Maryland led throughout much of the game. Michigan State was sloppy with the ball at times and shot very poorly from three. Despite that the Spartans were able to go on a run, going up 7 with 3:30 remaining only to see Maryland rip off a 14-0 run to close the game on the back of three Antony Cowan three pointers. When Michigan State is at their best, they are better than Maryland. The problem is they haven’t been able to find that best level consistently enough, while the Terps have been consistently very good all year.

Let’s dive into some specifics.

A note: Four factors is something you will see in these posts a lot. They are four statistical categories that heavily dictate good basketball vs. bad basketball. They are: effective field goal %, turnover %, offensive rebounding %, free throw rate (FTA/FGA). If a team is good at these four things, they are good at basketball.

When Michigan State has the ball

Michigan State Offense four factors: No. 62 in eFG% (effective field goal), No. 130 in turnover %, No. 43 in Oreb%, No. 206 in free throw rate

Maryland defense four factors: No. 21 eFG% against, No. 259 in turnover %, No. 114 in Oreb%, No. 19 in FTR

Michigan State’s shooting numbers have been ticking up just slightly of late and they’ll need to have a great shooting night against Maryland. That’ll be tough with the Terps having the No 21 eFG% defense. Maryland is much better at defending twos than threes, so MSU’s shooters are going to have to make open shots from deep. MSU should have a decent advantage on the offensive glass. On the road, offensive rebounding is a great way to generate offense when shooting gets harder and the whistle leans towards the home team. Maryland has an exceptionally good free throw rate against and MSU has struggled to get to the line lately, so I wouldn’t expect much to change there. Lastly, turnovers. Maryland is another team that doesn’t force a ton of turnovers and that will be crucial. After a shaky start against Iowa in terms of turnovers, MSU buckled down and protected the ball much better against the Hawkeyes and they needed to do that, because it took a while for shots to fall. Turnovers for touchdowns will be killer in this game.

When Maryland has the ball

Maryland offensive four factors: No. 231 in eFG%, No. 58 in turnover %, No. 55 in Oreb%, No. 53 in FTR

Michigan State defensive four factors: No. 2 in eFG% against, No. 320 in turnover %, No. 84 in Oreb% against, No. 96 in FTR

Rebounding is going to be so massive on this side of the floor. Maryland does not shoot well and MSU is as good as it gets at forcing misses. Can the Spartans limit Maryland to one shot? If they can, they have a very good chance at keeping Maryland from scoring. Maryland has a couple of guys who can really crash the offensive glass and they’re not all bigs. MSU’s wings are going to have to bring it on the defensive glass. Fouls are always something to be cognizant of and Maryland will probably get to the line a fair amount. They’re a good free throw shooting team too, so limiting their chances at the stripe will also be very important. But rebounding is absolutely the key here. I’d bet a good amount of money that Maryland ends up taking more shots than MSU in this game and MSU has to make sure those shots are as difficult as possible. Offensive put-backs are not difficult shots.

Other key numbers

Maryland ranks 263rd in the country in three point percentage, yet they take 43.2% of their shots from deep. Jalen Smith is their only consistent threat from deep, shooting 36% on 2.75 attempts per game. There will be a lot of missed threes Saturday night and MSU has to make sure they’re rebounding them as best as possible.

Michigan State ranks 27th in block percentage on defense and Maryland ranks 316th in block percentage on offense. While that’s good for MSU, blocks can lead to defenses being out of position for rebounds. This is another specific spot MSU has to be sound in the rebounding game.

Maryland ranks 104th in three-point defense and 13th in two-point defense. Life is going to be much easier on the perimeter for MSU’s offense. Rocket Watts, Gabe Brown, Aaron Henry and Kyle Ahrens have to hit shots.

Maryland ranks 316th in steal percentage. They don’t force turnovers by taking the ball away. MSU isn’t going to have much pressure on the ball and they need to take advantage of that by not giving away bad turnovers.

Conclusion

This will probably be Michigan State’s toughest test of the year considering opponent, environment and stakes. MSU is coming off probably their best half of the season against Iowa and they need for Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman to lead them from the jump the way they did against Iowa in the second half. If they do that and two of Henry, Watts, Brown and Ahrens have solid games, Michigan State can absolutely win this game. They’ll need to rebound on defense and make open shots from three when they get them. Those two things are what is most likely to dictate this game. When MSU is at its best, they do those two things quite well. When they’re not, they struggle. KenPom projects this as a 70-67 win for Maryland, a 62% chance of victory.

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WATCH: Chris Holtmann postgame Maryland press conference

Ohio State basketball head coach Chris Holtmann met with media following the team’s big win over Maryland. Listen to his comments here.

Ohio State notched another big win in its belt Sunday, disposing of No. 7 Maryland 79-72 on Sunday. It was the Buckeyes’ fourth win over a top ten ranked team on the year, and moved them back to .500 in the league with just five games left in conference play.

Chris Holmann was expectedly pleased after the game and took some time to sit down with the media for his postgame press conference. If you missed any of his comments, you can catch them all thanks to Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.

Watch as Holtmann discusses Kaleb Wesson’s play, responds to some critical remarks from Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon, discusses how pleased he was with his team’s performance, and more.

Ohio State will next be in action at Nebraska on Thursday.

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Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann defends Kaleb Wesson in response to Mark Turgeon’s “bully” comments

Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann responded to Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon’s comments about Kaleb Wesson being a bully on the court.

The Ohio State basketball team got a huge win against No. 7 Maryland on Sunday, one that will further cement its standing towards the Big Dance in March. It played composed, assertive, and with purpose in controlling the game throughout.

But there was a certain sound bite by Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon that got everyone’s attention after the game. When being asked about Ohio State big-man Kaleb Wesson’s play after the game, Turgeon compared him to a bully on the court — alluding to Wesson getting preferential treatment by the officials.

Head coach Chris Holtmann was asked about his thoughts on the comments made by Turgeon and had a tempered, yet pointed response to his Big Ten coaching colleague.

“He (Wesson) was described as being a bully,” asked Holtmann. “Mark said that? To each his own. His opinion can be his opinion. I thought Kaleb was physical and well within the rules, and played hard, played tough and played physical.”

Holtmann then dialed it up a bit, raising his voice a little in defense of his team’s best player. A guy that’s had to play through a lot of contact in a rough and tumble Big Ten.

“Listen, that kid (Wesson) has gotten pushed and shoved, and the number of times people have flopped on him throughout this year — he played well within the rules as he should have today. Kudos to him for that, because that can be frustrating.”

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There you have it. Of course coaches are going to have differing views based on what they see in defending their team, but both guys know what the Big Ten is about. You take it and dish it out in most cases.

Ohio State simply got the better of Maryland today, but it’s certainly something to watch if these two match up again in the postseason.

 

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Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon compares Kaleb Wesson to a bully postgame

Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon compared Kaleb Wesson to a bully when asked about his play after the Terps’ loss to the Buckeyes.

Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon was not happy after his team’s loss to Ohio State on the road, and he wasn’t pulling any punches after the game. Turgeon’s team was controlled through most of the contest, but got back into it late. Still the Buckeyes were able to hold on for a big 79-72 win, giving the Terrapins just their fourth loss in conference play.

Turgeon met with the media after the game and took offense to the way Ohio State big man Kaleb Wesson was able to operate down low in the post.

“Tonight he (Wesson) made his shots,” said Turgeon postgame. “His pick and pop. And I just thought he was allowed to be the bully offensively today. I mean, he stuck a forearm right into Stix’s chest twice. I guess you’re allowed to do that here in this building. He was allowed to be the bully — if he’s allowed to be the bully, he’s a heck of a player.”

Turgeon did walk those comment back just a bit, praising Wesson, but the comments will not play well to Ohio State fans and coaches.

“He (Wesson) was terrific. He scored around the basket. His defense was great, his ball-screen defense and recovery was really good.”

Someone might want to tell Turgeon that the officials are not employed by Ohio State, nor is this something that is only happening to Maryland. The calls went both ways, and Kaleb Wesson has had to deal with getting his fair share of bullying against him.

It all sounds a bit like sour grapes and the head coach of Maryland should know better. In his defense, Turgeon was quick to credit Ohio State for its play right when he sat down at the postgame press conference, but that will be overshadowed by what will be perceived as poor sportsmanship. This is the Big Ten, and it requires teams to put on the big boy pants.

It’s not fun to watch a lot of times, and Maryland has had a fantastic season being tough and playing through a lot of what this conference offers. However, it didn’t do it tonight, and that’s the real story here.

You can bet Chris Holtmann didn’t agree with these comments either.

 

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Ohio State basketball gets big resume building win over Maryland

The Ohio State basketball team won a huge Big Ten contest against No. 7 Maryland Sunday.

Ohio State has been two different teams this year, on a couple of notes. There’s the home Buckeye squad and the road OSU team. There’s also been pre-conference Ohio State and in-conference Ohio State. The good one on both accounts showed up Sunday against Maryland in a 79-72 victory.

It all started with what had been the bugaboo for the Buckeyes, turnovers. Ohio State leads the Big Ten in turnovers during conference play, and it’s resulted in an under .500 record in the league coming into this one — especially because of the issues on the road.

Today though, the Buckeyes had just four turnovers in the first half, and only ten for the game. You’d still like it to be a little better in the second stanza, but it wasn’t a landslide of turnovers like we’ve seen before.

But it was more than that. Ohio State got on the boards — outrebounding the Terps 36-27 (13 on the offensive end), shot the ball well from beyond the arc, and played solid defense against a very athletic and skilled Maryland team. It had five players score in double figures. Heck, it even got some unexpected scoring from an unlikely source.

Luther Muhammad led all scorers in the game with 22 points, well above his 6.3 average for the year. He also played solid defense on Terrapin guard Anthony Cowan and had an all-around solid floor game.

Maryland tightened things up in the second half, but Ohio State never let the lead get closer than three points, and at one point knocked down 21-straight free throws to salt this one away.

With the win, Ohio State improves its record to 18-9, 8-8 in the Big Ten. It’s also a huge, quality Quad 1 win to add to an already impressive collection of wins this year. The bottom line is that the Buckeyes just notched one in their belt that almost locks them into the NCAA Tournament, barring an absolute collapse.

 

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With solid half, Ohio State goes into break leading Maryland

Ohio State leads Maryland by seven at the half, and it has its ability to take care of the basketball as the main reason.

The Ohio State basketball team is doing everything it needs in order to play with a talented Maryland team — at least through one half of play. It’s had hot shooting from beyond the arc (8 of 16), has limited turnovers (just four), and is rebounding the basketball well. The result is a 40-33 lead at the break against the nation’s No. 7 ranked team.

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, games aren’t won over the first twenty minutes. However, as we’ve seen before, they can be lost, and so far Ohio State is looking like a team much more composed and involved in this game.

Surprisingly, Luther Muhammad leads OSU with nine points on 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Usually a defensive specialist, he has added a much-needed boost from deep. There has been balanced scoring with the Wesson brothers both chipping in eight, and C.J. Walker and Duane Washington both with six points each.

But this game has been about limiting turnovers so far. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in turning the ball over in conference play, and that’s normally the area that determines being in the game, or out of it for the scarlet and gray.

Ohio State has shown it can play with anyone if it uses care with the basketball. So far so good, but it still has to take care of things in the second half.

 

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