Maryland Terrapins
With less than 6 weeks from us having a bracket in our hands, let us begin to countdown and break down this years March and the madness behind it.
Every day we will look at a different angle of the beauty that is the bracket. From top seeds to bubble teams and every team in between. Which styles of play can be a problem for teams and which teams are on my radar for wearing the glass slipper.
With still 6 weeks to go standings can and will change.
March Madness, Maryland Terrapins
- Maryland Terrapins
Currently sitting on the 6 seed line in the South bracket, the Maryland Terrapins are having a heck of a season. Sitting at 15th in the nation in NET rankings with a 17-5 record overall, 7-4 Big 10 conference record. The Terrapins are 6-4 against quad 1 and in the Big 10 will have a lot more chances to grow that number.
Maryland is currently on a 4 game win streak with three of those wins coming against quad 1 opponents. Only one questionable lost this season came on the road against Washington.
Defense
The Maryland Terrapins are currently top 50 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, sitting in the top 15 on the defensive side. Ranked 15th in the nation in defensive efficiency only allowing 0.92 points per possession. Ranked 44th in offensive efficiency scoring 1.17 points per possession.
This team is one of the elite defensive teams in the nation, ranking in the top 35 in 6 major metrics to judge a team defensively. They are 19th in the nation in forcing turnovers, 35th in the nation in opponents 3 point field goal percentage, and 32nd in the nation in opponents 2 points field goal percentage.
Maryland is also 29th in the nation in defensive rebounding and towards the bottom on the pack in teams firing threes against them. They flat out run teams off of the three point line and force them into bad shots.
Offense
On offense they have 5 players averaging 11 points or more. They know where they are most effective from and get to those spots, shooting the ball 59% inside the arc.
They are ranked 17th in the nation in turnovers, meaning they take care of the ball. Only turning it over on 12% of possessions. Anytime you get a shot off, you give your team a chance to score.
They have been winning games all season in a magnitude of ways. Weather the game is close, they somehow pull it off, or in blowout games their defense does not let opponents get back into the game.
Sets at a Glance
Their offense is designed to do two things. The first is allow their players to make basketball decisions, it seems they have the freedom to pop or roll on on ball screens. As well as the freedom to curl, flare, or dive on off ball screens.
This allows them to take advantage of a defenses failures, to be an artist if you will. More of putting players in position to make plays rather than elaborate sets designed to shoot here.
The second thing they are great at is giving their big men isolations around the elbow area. Maryland has great size and touch to knock down 8-15 foot jumpers and floaters and also bruise their way into an and 1.
That elbow space on the floor is a tough spot to double at. If you bring it from the top side their is now a 3-2 advantage to the offense on the weak side. Also, if you try and double from the corner, there is now a wide open back door lane for the guard to cut too.
We already talked about this teams defense, ranked 15th in efficiency. They will shut you down and keep applying pressure.
Final Thoughts and Projections
Being ranked 15th in the NET rankings, and being 7-4 in Big 10 play is nothing to ignore when evaluating this Maryland Terrapins team. Where they get seeded will be huge to their success in March.
Sitting in a scary spot right now having to go up against a hungry 11 seed from the first four will be dangerous.
Maryland’s metrics are great, they just never pass the eye test. Which means they may get a first round win, and even a second. However, it will be an ugly one.
Look for the Terrapins to go cold in the second half at some point and be one of the first round upset losses in this year’s tournament. If this teams makes it pass the first weekend, it will prove that the Madness is Real.
Rowan Donaghey, Sports Reporter and Betting Analyst for Stare Down Sports. You can follow him on X via @RowanDonaghey
Follow Stare Down Sports on X for all of the latest news and updates @StareDownSports
March Madness, San Diego State
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