Three significant early-season trends for Maryland men’s basketball

So far this season, three players from last year’s Sweet 16 team have had stats that stand out compared to last year: Melo Trimble, Damonte Dodd and Jared Nickens.

While four games is a small sample size, we can still take a look at some early trends in their numbers.

Melo Trimble is taking more shots from the field and the free throw line

Last season, Melo Trimble averaged 10.8 field goals attempted per game and 5.1 free throws attempted per game. This season, those figures have shot up to 12.5 FGA and 8.8 FTA.

Given that Trimble only played 15 minutes against Division III St. Mary’s (Md.), his per 40 minutes stats paint a better picture of the major increase in attempted field goals and free throws he has had. His FGA has risen from 13.3 to 16.4, while he is now averaging more than five extra free throws per 40 minutes compared to last season’s tally.

Neither of these are a surprise, given that Trimble is the only returning starter from last year’s talented starting five.

Damonte Dodd has stepped up his rebounds and blocks

Damonte Dodd has started his senior year off strong when it comes to getting boards and providing rejections. As a junior, Dodd was averaging just under three rebounds per game but is now hauling in five per game this season. Similarly, Dodd has proven himself as a strong defender in the paint with his two blocks per game, more than double his 0.8 from last year.

Dodd’s early increase in production is an encouraging sign for a team that lost Diamond Stone to the draft and is still dealing with Michal Cekovsky’s injury.

Jared Nickens is ice cold

While he had a strong start last season in out-of-conference play, Jared Nickens’ three-point shooting barely panned out in conference play. As a freshman, Nickens hit exactly 40 percent of his threes against Big Ten opponents; that number dropped to just over 26 percent last season.

Nickens’ start to this season has not silenced any concerns about his declining ability to hit from behind the arc – his three-point percentage currently sits at .176. Nickens has also failed to make any of his seven two-point field goals so far this season.

More than likely, Nickens is due for some regressing to the mean as the season progresses. But no one can be happy to see him starting the season off this slowly.