Maryland bolsters its case as a potential Big Ten title threat
One of the primary questions entering Big Ten play a few weeks ago was which team would emerge as the biggest threat to heavily favored Wisconsin in the league title race.
So far surprising Maryland might be the runaway choice.
The 14th-ranked Terrapins bolstered their case on Saturday in College Park by completing a season sweep of Michigan State with a 75-59 rout. Maryland (17-2, 5-1) now owns four victories against KenPom Top 25 teams and leads the Big Ten by a half game over Iowa and Wisconsin.
That Maryland has already matched its win total from last year is remarkable considering the concerns about the Terps entering the season. Fourth-year coach Mark Turgeon was a fixture on most offseason "Hot Seat" lists because Maryland hadn't made the NCAA tournament during his tenure and endured a discouraging rash of transfers during the offseason.
Turns out those defections weren't as damaging as expected because chemistry has improved and other players have emerged to pick up the slack.
Point guard Melo Trimble has solidified Maryland's weakest position and emerged as one of the nation's elite freshman, averaging 15.7 points per game and getting to the foul line at will. Stretch forward Jake Layman has blossomed into an NBA prospect with a breakout junior season and do-it-all senior Dez Wells has done a little bit of everything, from outside shooting, to rebounding, to distributing.
That trio was the difference Saturday against a Michigan State team that took the Terps to double overtime in East Lansing. Trimble scored 24 points and buried six threes. Layman added 23 of his own and got to the free throw line 12 times. Wells had a quiet nine points but posted a game-high five assists. Maryland led by 14 points at halftime and was never seriously threatened.
There are certainly other teams who may yet emerge as threats to Wisconsin besides Maryland, but for right now the Terps have the strongest argument.
They're more trustworthy than inconsistent Iowa. They're more well-rounded than one-dimensional Indiana. And they're currently playing at a higher level than traditional powers Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State.
Not bad for a coach who's job seemed to be in jeopardy entering the season or for a program making its Big Ten debut.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
