Holmes: Terps Loss To Wisconsin Is 'Inexcusable'
Until last night, Mark Turgeon and his players had been able to justifiably defend their notches in the loss column, winning a rather easy fight against critics who may have nitpicked excusable losses scattered about Maryland's schedule.
Though it was their first of the season, the loss at Chapel Hill was the Terrapins' first true road test of the 2016 campaign. North Carolina shot a scorching 69 percent from the arc, and Maryland, themselves broke the 80 point mark—certainly no shame there. The loss against a stout Spartans defense at Michigan State in a tough road bout was also excusable. Lastly, any reasonable college basketball follower would admit that even the most star-studded squads are allowed an iffy offensive night, a la Melo Trimble's dismal two-point game in Ann Arbor.
However, Maryland's most recent loss, a shellacking at the hands of a good, but not great, Wisconsin team, is the first of their promising season that can be deemed inexcusable in the usual postgame presser fashion.
"I didn't have our guys ready, obviously. We got up 14-7 and just kind of lost ourselves—couldn't score. You know it's a long season. It's hard to play well every night," said Turgeon.
It is hard to play well every night, yes. But there's a laundry list of reasons as to why it shouldn't have been hard to get up for this one.
Putting aside the dry fact that Maryland is the undisputed more talented team, they were also a team with rolling momentum leading to tip-off Saturday—the Terrapins had been an unblemished 6-0 in regular Big Ten play, while also having a 27-game home winning streak in their cauldron.
Wisconsin putting an end to that streak at home is disappointing for Maryland because of just that—they were playing at home. Moreover, much (apparently too much) was made about how smart it was for Turgeon to sit his starters against Bowie State in the previous game. Not only did starters Trimble and Carter Jr. struggle, but Cekovsky, Brantley, Ram, and Dodd were a combined 0-2 from the field with just 26 total minutes logged. The effectiveness of that depth Maryland showcased last week can be likened to a de-caff energy shot.
Although the bench provided close to no boost Turgeon pointed out the team's frustration on the night.
"it's the first time I felt like our offense affected our defense. It was just one of those nights. We kept trying to get to the foul line and couldn't get there. The frustration mounted. We lost the game in the last ten minutes of the first half," Turgeon said.
That last sentence was foreshadowed when the terrapins made an early-season habit of coming out flat against subpar teams. The problem for Rasheed Sulaimon and his teammates' lack of energy was their opponent--this was Wisconsin, not Rider or Cleveland State.
"We had a tough night offensively and defensively. It was one of those tough nights when we just let our play on one side of the court affect the other, especially in the first half. A lot of things weren't going our way," said Sulaimon. "At the end of the day it's just another game in the Big Ten. Luckily, we still have another opportunity. We'll watch film, get better from this, and next time we're faced with a situation like this, we'll handle it better," he added.
Conversely, while the star shooting guard and his team proved to be sluggish at times, it's not an epidemic, nor is it time to mirror the emotions of the disappointed fans walking out of Xfinity Center Saturday night. A record of 22-4 (6-1) is not a mark of underachieving by any stretch, particularly considering how much of this team was glued together in June and July without much practice. What's more, though they haven't been together long, the team seems to respond to adversity together--a trait Turgeon is counting on.
"I just want to get physically tougher and mentally tougher between now and Thursday. Hopefully they'll play more confidently. They've responded all year, so I expect them to do it again."
Moreover, improving mental toughness will be key for freshman center Diamond Stone in particular, who clearly lost his temper toward the tail end of the first half and committed a flagrant foul. Luckily for Stone, he seems to have the right support group in place, most notably with leader Rasheed Sulaimon.
"We had a conversation after the game, a one-on-one talk. You give your all to this game from June until now. Emotions flare sometimes. You get competitive and things happen. We had a conversation about it and he's going to grow and move forward," said Sulaimon.
Ben Holmes is a sports reporter and producer for CBS Sports Radio in Baltimore MD. He covers Maryland Terrapins Basketball and Football for Baltimore's 105.7 The Fan. You can follow Ben on twitter @HomlesOnSports.