After learning on Sunday they will face No. 11 seed Xavier in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Maryland men’s basketball team didn’t know much about its foe. But coach Mark Turgeon and guards Melo Trimble and Kevin Huerter knew about Musketeers guard Trevon Bluiett.
Turgeon watched Bluiett score 40 points against Cincinnati in January. Huerter also saw Bluiett multiple times on TV. Shutting down Bluiett, who averaged the third-most points per game (18.1) in the Big East, will be one of No. 6-seed Maryland’s priorities Thursday evening in Orlando, Florida.
“This Bluiett kid is off the charts,” Turgeon said. “He’s a special player.”
Xavier began the season 13-2 while guard Edmond Sumner, who averaged the team’s second-most points per game (15), was healthy. But the Musketeers soon went into a slump and haven’t regained their early form.
Since their hot start, Xavier is 8-11, including six defeats in its last seven regular-season outings. Furthering the slide, Sumner tore his ACL on Jan. 29. Meanwhile, the Terps have lost four of their last six.
Still, the Musketeers defeated Butler, a No. 4-seed in the NCAA tournament, in the Big East tournament to help secure a spot in the Big Dance.
Bluiett has capitalized in Sumner’s absence, shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three, while averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. Guard J.P. Macura, meanwhile, averages 14.5 points per game and is shooting 42.3 percent this season.
While Trimble is the Terps’ lone returning starter from last season and Turgeon has taken Maryland to one Sweet 16, Xavier coach Chris Mack has led the Musketeers to three Sweet 16s, and some players gained postseason experience with two NCAA tournament games last season.
“Chris Mack,” Turgeon said, “is an unbelievably great coach.”
Maryland’s toughest challenges may come against Xavier’s 1-3-1 zone defense and on the boards. The Terps have struggled against zones this season, such as in losses to Pittsburgh on Nov. 29 and Minnesota on Feb. 22. Even after the Terps shot 10-for-36 on 3-pointers against the Panthers, Turgeon asked teams to “please zone us” in his postgame press conference.
Still, when the Terps have missed shots early in contests this season, their offense has often gone stagnant.
“They’re going to give us a bunch of different looks,” Huerter said. “Obviously the Bluiett kid is really good. They’re going to poise a lot of challenges in this tournament, and we’re going to respect them.”
While Maryland managed the fourth-worst rebounding margin in the Big Ten (+0.7), Xavier has a +6.6 rebound margin. The Terps’ big men have endured foul trouble often this season and have struggled to make consistent offensive contributions. Since center Michal Cekovsky fractured his ankle Feb. 19, Maryland has had more trouble scoring inside.
The last time Maryland played the Musketeers in the NCAA Tournament came in 2003 — a 77-64 Terps win.
Maryland hopes to extend its streak of winning at least one contest in 12 NCAA tournament appearances since 1998, and the team knows that starts with limiting Bluiett.
“Bluiett is a really good player,” Trimble said. “He can do it all. They’re a very complete team. This is what we had the offseason for and practices. This is what we prepared for.”
