Guard Melo Trimble completes a reverse layup during the first half of the Terps’ win over Indiana at Xfinity Center on Feb. 11, 2014.
Melo Trimble walked into Xfinity Center on Wednesday for practice with his hair patted down in twists. Coach Mark Turgeon had given his Terrapins men’s basketball team two days off after a victory over Nebraska on Sunday, so his star point guard had a chance to visit the barber.
In addition to tinkering with his locks, Trimble spent time Monday and Tuesday studying, watching basketball and resting his legs, which have piled up significant mileage during the team’s seven-game winning streak to close the regular season. He even got a massage Monday.
“Yeah,” Trimble said, “that felt pretty good.”
Trimble took advantage of the time off just as Turgeon had hoped. The fourth-year coach said the delay allows the No. 2-seed Terps a chance for much-needed rest before they play No. 7-seed Indiana on Friday night at Chicago’s United Center in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.
The Terps’ seeding earned them a double bye and a four-day layoff while Indiana beat Northwestern, 71-56, yesterday to earn a date with Turgeon’s team.
“Guys that have put in a little of minutes, I was just, ‘I don’t want you around; stay away. Come on Wednesday and we’ll have a good hard practice and get better,’” Turgeon said of his approach earlier this week.
The three Terps who log the most time on the court — Trimble, guard Dez Wells and forward Jake Layman — all average more than 29.5 minutes per game. They each also have exhausting roles on the team.
Trimble is the Terps’ floor general as well as their leading scorer. Wells is Turgeon’s go-to option down the stretch of games on offense, and he often covers opponents’ best players on defense. Layman, meanwhile, spends most games battling in the paint against forwards who outweigh him.
Trimble and Wells played at least 30 minutes in six contests during the Terps’ seven-game winning streak, which dates back to a narrow Feb. 11 win over Indiana at Xfinity Center. Layman played at least 30 minutes in each of those games.
“We grinded it,” Turgeon said. “To win seven straight, we had the foot on the pedal pretty hard.”
Layman even battled flu symptoms while scoring 11 points at Nebraska on Sunday.
“It was good for us, especially me, because I’m still trying to recover,” said Layman, who told reporters Wednesday he was feeling better. “The rest was definitely needed. But some guys, if they wanted to, they could still get shots in the gym yesterday. … A lot of guys got treatment, so it was really a day to get in and do what you want because we have a big stretch coming up.”
That big stretch begins tonight when the Terps (26-5, 14-4 Big Ten) and Indiana hit the United Center court with hopes of staying in contention for a conference title. Turgeon and Wells reiterated Tuesday that the team is focused on capturing a Big Ten Championship, and that its motivation isn’t altered because the Terps have an NCAA tournament bid locked up for the first time since 2010.
To win the tournament, the Terps would need to play three games in three days. That’s why Turgeon felt the team needed extra time to rest, and he plans to lean on his bench over the weekend to ensure his starters don’t become fatigued.
The Terps used a 10-player rotation this season that fluctuated from game to game.
“I’ve been trying to expand my bench as the season ended. Most coaches are trying to shorten it,” Turgeon said. “With three games in three days, if we’re lucky enough to win our first two, we’ll have to be a deep team to be successful.”
The Terps bench is effective, the sideline general said, when three freshman — guards Dion Wiley and Jared Nickens and forward Michal Cekovsky — play with confidence. Throughout the past few weeks, Turgeon has tried to give the rookies more playing time in crucial situations to help the group establish more of a rhythm on the floor.
This week, though, Turgeon had one strong focus: He wanted to give his stars a break so they’ll be prepared to play Friday night.
“We’re fresh,” Turgeon said. “We’re going to be mentally fresh and physically fresh going into this weekend.”
