Despite leading at halftime of the past two games, the Terrapins men’s basketball team has sputtered shooting the ball in the second half, with a combined 15 made field goals in those 40 minutes. As the offense has faltered, the defense has shouldered the burden and helped the Terps hang on for crucial conference victories.
In the second periods of those two wins, the Terps held No. 5 Iowa and Ohio State to less than 38 percent shooting and a combined 22.7 percent on 3-pointers.
Stifling defense has been the Terps’ security blanket at times this season. When the Terps’ shots weren’t falling against Northwestern on Jan. 19, they relied on their defense, limiting the Wildcats to 30.6 percent shooting in the second half and overtime to secure a 62-56 win.
So while coach Mark Turgeon hopes the No. 4 Terps will snap out of their second-half offensive woes Wednesday at Nebraska, he knows his team can turn to its shutdown defense late if needed. The team defense has made huge strides in the last month, Turgeon said. The Terps are No. 12 in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to kenpom.com, and third in the Big Ten in scoring defense at 64.1 points per game.
“There’s two parts to a game: offense and defense,” forward Robert Carter Jr. said. “It’s just hard to beat people by outscoring people. You’ve got to get stops, because the team with the most stops usually wins the game.”
Kenpom.com‘s adjusted defensive efficiency rating, which adjusts for the opponent, measures points allowed per 100 possessions. The Terps have held opponents to 92.9 points per 100 possessions. No. 18 Purdue is the only Big Ten team ahead of them.
The Terps’ defensive prowess was on display Thursday as they held the No. 2 scoring offense in the Big Ten, Iowa, to 68 points — more than 13 below their average. Carter and forward Jake Layman helped limit the Hawkeyes’ leading scorer, Jarrod Uthoff, to a season-low nine points on 2-for-13 shooting from the floor.
Nebraska’s offense is seventh in the conference in scoring, but the Cornhuskers boast two of the 10 top scorers — guard Andrew White III and forward Shavon Shields. The duo averages a combined 32.8 points per game.
White and Shields, both 6-foot-7, are part of a larger challenge for the Terps. Nebraska is a small team. Its top eight players in terms of minutes are shorter than 6-foot-9. But the Terps, who have three starters 6-foot-9 or taller, are used to the challenge of guarding smaller players.
“We have confidence in whoever we’re going against,” guard Rasheed Sulaimon said. “We think we have a versatile group of guys, whether a team is big or small or have a hybrid of guys out there.”
While Turgeon acknowledged the size mismatch isn’t ideal, he has confidence in his team’s defense.
With the offense still figuring out its issues, Turgeon doesn’t want a slip in focus Wednesday night. The Terps might not be able to afford it.
“It’s a matchup nightmare,” Turgeon said. “We’ve got to lock in and concentrate.”
