Steve Davis: Terps Headed In Wrong Direction
The Maryland basketball team just got bounced from the Top 10 in both polls for the first time this year. They are 14th in the writers (AP) and 12th in the coaches (USA Today) poll, and while we would have gladly taken that pretty much any time in the last 10 years, it is hard to feel very good about where the Terps are right now.
The Terps have lost 3 of their last 4, and have now lost 19 straight games on the road vs. ranked opponents, dating back to 2008. Now, the NCAA tourney games are on neutral courts, but this is a disturbing trend. The Terps got manhandled on the boards by Purdue and were out-rebounded 41-22. Purdue had 19 offensive rebounds, which is almost as many as Maryland had the other game. Mark Turgeon called out his players after the game regarding their lack of rebounding. It's been a couple years since he has said anything negative about his players in the media, and, while I don't have a big problem with it, it might indicate that he is at his wit's end how to get his players to give more effort and thought to rebounding.
A month ago, I really thought Maryland had as good a chance as any team to win the national title. At this point, I'd actually just feel pretty good if they can get to the Sweet 16.
