The Terrapins men’s basketball team is barely within shouting distance of the midway point of its 2012-13 season. It has only played nine of its 31 regular-season contests, and that’s not including a potential ACC tournament run and NCAA tournament berth.

But for all intents and purposes, last night’s contest against Monmouth places the Terps’ season at a sort of halftime. The fall semester officially comes to a close on Wednesday, and the team won’t step onto the court again until Dec. 21.

And when the Terps do host Stony Brook that Friday, they will likely do so in front of a mostly empty Comcast Center. Students — many of whom will be just a few days removed from a grueling finals week — will likely be home with their families preparing for the holidays. The campus will be mostly barren, and it will likely remain that way until winter break ends Jan. 23.

The Terps don’t get that same hiatus, though. As students enjoy their break in the comfort of their own homes, coach Mark Turgeon’s team will play a critical part of its schedule.

The beginning should be easy. Stony Brook, Delaware State and IUPUI close out the Terps’ nonconference slate, and none of those matchups should offer the team any significant challenge.

But things get difficult five days into the new year. The Terps start their ACC schedule at home against Virginia Tech, beginning a stretch in which the team will play six games in 18 days — all before the first day of the spring semester.

With contests against the Hokies, Florida State, Miami, No. 25 N.C. State, No. 21 North Carolina and Boston College, the Terps have a chance to show fans what kind of team they’re going to be. Are they going to be a young, inexperienced team ill-equipped for the rigors of conference play? Or are they going to be the NCAA tournament contender many expected them to be at the start of the season?

The answer to those questions will become more clear over the next 41 days. Until then, here are three story lines to watch during winter break:

1. FAUSTIAN DEAL

What kind of player is Nick Faust going to be? Is the guard going to be a high-volume shooter, the heir apparent to former guard Terrell Stoglin as the team’s scoring champion? Or is he going to be the consummate team player, a smart scorer on a team rife with offensive talent?

Turgeon hopes it’s the latter. With center Alex Len dominating inside and forward Dez Wells making plays on the wing, Faust doesn’t have to be a do-it-all scorer for the Terps. The way the Terps are built, the sophomore isn’t the focal point on offense; he’s just one of a plethora of weapons.

Faust seems to understand. After an unimpressive season debut — he scored 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting in a loss to then-No. 3 Kentucky — Turgeon sat down with the Baltimore native and told him it was about points per possession, not points per game.

Faust took the message to heart. He is taking only nine attempts per game now, and he’s averaging a balanced 10.3 points, four rebounds and 3.1 assists so far.

If he can improve on his lackluster 37 percent from the field, Faust could help key the Terps’ postseason run.

2. ROTATING ROTATIONS

There aren’t many teams in the nation that can say they possess the same depth as the Terps. Turgeon has regularly employed a 10-man rotation in games this season, and it has shone through on the stat sheet.

Faust, guards Pe’Shon Howard, Seth Allen and Logan Aronhalt, forwards Wells, Jake Layman, James Padgett and Charles Mitchell, and centers Len and Shaquille Cleare are each averaging double-digit minutes. Each has scored at least 26 points and 11 rebounds this season, and each has started at least one game.

But Turgeon has made it clear the 10-man rotation won’t follow the Terps into ACC play. There simply aren’t enough minutes to go around. The second-year coach is going to reduce his rotation to just eight players, and two of the team’s regulars will end up on the outside looking in.

The likely choices seem to be Aronhalt and Layman. They’re two of the three Terps averaging less than 15 minutes per game, and as a guard and a forward, they play at relatively crowded positions on the court. Cleare also averages less than 15 minutes per game, but his size inside should keep him part of the rotation.

That’s not to say the pair won’t continue to contribute for the Terps. Aronhalt will likely see run all season as the team’s three-point specialist and Layman still provides Turgeon with an athletic wing defender off the bench.

But when ACC play begins Jan. 5, the Terps’ rotation will include just eight regulars. And Aronhalt and Layman likely won’t be among them.

3. Len playing wells

At this time last year, Wells was making a name for himself at Xavier and Len was still two weeks away from making his collegiate debut. This season, they’re the most integral pieces on a team looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2010.

Wells — who transferred to the university in September after his expulsion from Xavier and was granted eligibility to play in November — is averaging an explosive 12.4 points per game, and Len is averaging a team-high 13.9 points, 8.7 boards and 2.3 blocks per game in a much-improved sophomore campaign.

Together, they’ve been two of the most consistent Terps, playing key roles in many of the team’s victories. Wells struggled to live up to expectations, and Len had trouble adjusting to life in America after coming to College Park from Ukraine. But in the first third of the season, the star duo has finally become comfortable.

Will that newfound comfort help them transition their early season success into ACC play? That remains to be seen. But if the Terps have any hope of achieving their postseason goals, Wells and Len are going to have to be a significant part of it.

The Terps’ limited scoring options hindered them throughout ACC play last season, as Stoglin was their only consistent scoring threat. But with Wells and Len proving themselves as elite contributors, and Faust and a slew of others playing complementary roles, the team will have options once league play begins.

Last season, the Terps stumbled to a 2-4 start to ACC play. When students arrive back on the campus for classes Jan. 23, there’s a real possibility the Terps could sit 6-0 in the conference.

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