Maryland basketball fans rejoiced Monday afternoon upon seeing their team return to The Associated Press Top 25 after an 11-week hiatus, but the program’s players and coaches didn’t put much thought into the No. 25 ranking this week.
While freshman guard Anthony Cowan admitted it was “nice to be noticed” on a national scale, he added he and his teammates would continue to use their past slights as motivation. Before practice Tuesday, coach Mark Turgeon asked the team how it felt to be included in the poll. The responses echoed Cowan’s sentiment.
“Nothing’s changed, Coach,” Turgeon recalled one player saying.
“Well, they had to rank us,” the sixth-year coach heard another say. “Sixteen and two and we’re No. 1 in the Big Ten. They had to rank us.”
Turgeon acknowledged, though, how his team’s ranking concerned Iowa, which the Terps will play on the road Thursday night. The Hawkeyes called for a “Gold Out,” encouraging fans to wear gold clothes as their team attempts to knock off its third ranked foe at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Having already won at Michigan and Illinois, Maryland believes it’s prepared to handle the raucous environment.
“This team has impressed me all year the way they’ve reacted to everything,” Turgeon said. “We just have confidence in ourselves, belief in ourselves.”
Much of that stems from the Terps’ innate ability to win close games. With star guard Melo Trimble leading, they’ve won eight games by six points or fewer.
The junior has struggled with his shot the past four games, making 20 of his 62 attempts (32.3 percent) from the field, but the Terps won three of those four games, the lone loss coming after they collapsed at home against Nebraska.
Maryland (16-2, 4-1 Big Ten) won at Michigan by getting out to a fast start and holding off the Wolverines down the stretch. Last Saturday in Champaign, the Terps fell into double-digit hole and faced a five-point deficit at halftime. Still, they went on a 14-0 run to take control of an eventual 62-56 win as Illinois endured an almost eight-minute drought.
Turgeon hopes his team can execute on both ends of the floor against the Hawkeyes (11-8, 2-3), who feature the Big Ten’s leading scorer and tout home victories over then-No. 25 Iowa State and then-No. 15 Purdue.
Iowa guard Peter Jok has emerged as one of the conference’s best players, averaging 21.9 points and 6.2 rebounds as the lone non-freshman in the Hawkeyes’ starting lineup. According to Turgeon, the 6-foot-6 senior has been effective for several reasons. He can post up. He can beat defenders off the dribble. Plus, Jok’s height and length allow him to shoot over opposing players, perhaps the most lethal combination against defenses.
“The scouting report says you got to start guarding him right when he walks in the gym because he can hit it from anywhere,” Turgeon said.
“You got to guard him as soon as he passes half court,” guard Jaylen Brantley added.
Maryland last traveled to Iowa two years ago, and Jok scored 15 points in that game to help his team cruise to a 71-55 win over the then-No. 17 Terps.
Turgeon said there are a lot of similarities between that Maryland team and this year’s group. Each squad has a mix of battle-tested veterans and talented freshmen and plays a similar style. They both thrive in tight contests.
The Terps’ performance two seasons ago, Turgeon said, would be an emphasis when he met with the team Wednesday night. In that game, Maryland shot 24 percent before the break. It made half of its shots in the second half but couldn’t overcome a 40-17 halftime deficit.
But even when this year’s group has struggled, its figured out ways to secure wins in the final moments. It’s what pushed the Terps into the Top 25 this week.
Still, upholding that recognition won’t be of major focus Thursday night.
“Every season, unless you just got superior talent, you have your ups and downs,” Turgeon said. “We haven’t had our downs yet — hopefully we don’t – but we know what lies ahead, and we just got to keep trying to get better.”
