Maryland Basketball: Hittin' The Road Stuggling

Maryland Terrapins (12-3, 1-0 ACC) vs.
Miami Hurricanes (12-3, 1-1 ACC)
BankUnited Center – Coral Gables, FL

Here are some of the raw numbers from Maryland’s last game. The Terps shot 31.5% from the field, which was actually better than the 25% they shot in the first half. They were 5-26 (19.2%) from behind the line. If you take away Eric Hayes’ 4-for-6 night, then the rest of the teams was 1-for-20. Maryland allowed Georgia Tech to make one more basket as a team than they did…despite the fact that Maryland took 17 more shots. The Terps got out-rebounded by 12. They held the lead in the game for less than four minutes. And somehow, miraculously, the Terps managed to win the game.

How did they do that? Well, it helps when the opposition turns the ball over 28 times. Yes, 28 times. I’m sure it’s happened before, but I can’t remember watching an ACC game where one team had that many turnovers. And it’s not as if Maryland forced most of them. The Terps were only responsible for 12 of the 28. So to say Georgia Tech handed Maryland a win would be a major understatement. It was a win, but not a very impressive one. This was a home game against a team that Maryland should have beaten rather easily. They needed 28 turnovers to win it and even then the game was in doubt into the final minute of play.

There are 343 division one basketball schools. 342 of them have played a true road game on an opponents court. The one holdover? You guessed it…Maryland. It's not a huge deal since the Terps have played four neutral site games (and the crowd for the Michigan State game in Orlando was wearing an awful lot of green). But the Terps finally hit the road for the first of two straight in the Sunshine State, and travel somewhere that they haven’t won since the 1970’s. Ever since Miami joined the ACC, they have been a thorn in the Terrapins’ side. They beat Maryland in College Park. They beat Maryland at the ACC Tournament. And they certainly do a pretty good job of beating Maryland in Coral Gables.

The Hurricanes continue to be led by Jack McClinton. He’s having another good season with 17 points a game while shooting at a 47% clip. Around McClinton are some nice role players. Jamie Dews and Lance Hurdle are other options outside, even though both of their numbers are slightly down. Missing from Miami will be young point guard Eddie Rios, who was suspended early this week for the second time this season. It is unlikely he’ll return to the Canes in the near future.

Other than McClinton, what really scares you about Miami is their front court. There aren’t a lot of great players. But they have a lot of depth and a lot of quality ACC front court guys. On top of that, most of their big men are experienced seniors or juniors. Jimmy Graham, who seemingly has been at The U for seven years, is the most recognizable name, despite his numbers and minutes also being down. Even though he still sees a good chunk of playing time, the Hurricanes now rely on Dwayne Collins and Brian Asbury (two names that should be familiar to most fans), as well as relative newcomers Cyrus McGowan and DeQuan Jones. All five of these players average well over 10 minutes a game. Other than Collins, the other four are no threats to make jump shots or create their own points. They rely on the guards to get them the ball. What this five-headed monster does is rebound, rebound and rebound some more. Collins, Asbury, Graham and McGowan all average five or more rebounds a game. They are all very physical, and they tend to wear down thin front courts. Since Maryland has no front court what so ever, this could be a major problem.

Frank Haith’s team hasn’t lost to anyone they shouldn’t have, but they have very little in the impressive win category. So far the Canes have lost in the Virgin Islands to UConn, and at home to Ohio State and Clemson. The Clemson loss was especially troubling, since the Tigers blew Miami out from the opening tip. Miami scored a win at Kentucky, which is a win that’s looking better and better each week. They’ve beaten San Diego (a good mid-major). They were unimpressive in a close win at Boston College. That’s about it. The rest of the list reads like Stetson, North Florida and whatever small to sort of small schools they could find scattered around the South.

What Miami does is slow the game down and, in the past at least, limited their turnovers. Their turnover numbers are up slightly, but not at a 28-turnover game rate. By doing those two things, they’ve kept faster and more athletic teams from getting out in transition. If Miami can make every game a half-court game, they have a chance to win with shooters like McClinton and Dews and solid rebounders inside. Since Maryland hasn’t been able to get Miami in an up and down pace in the past, there is no reason to think they’ll be able to do that this season. The Hurricanes will make it ugly, wear out Maryland in the first half, and put the Terps away in the second. It shouldn’t be close midway into the second frame.

Miami 75
Maryland 61

ACC PICKS:

(and yes, I was a perfect 6-for-6 last week)

Duke 81, Georgia Tech 62
Wake Forest 79, Boston College 73
North Carolina 92, Virginia 67