Bob Haynie: Terps Still 'Melo' At No. 3
The men's college basketball rankings came out on Monday afternoon and the Maryland Terrapins are still rated among the best in the land. After wins over Rutgers and Wisconsin, the Terps are holding strong as they are ranked #3 in both the AP and the USA Today coaches poll.
Last Wednesday night, Maryland clobbered Rutgers 88-63 at the XFINITY Center as forward Jake Layman led the way with 18 points. Things were much more dramatic on Saturday as the Terps traveled to Madison to tussle with Badgers at the Kohl Center.
Maryland was in control late, but Robert Carter, Jr. and Rasheed Sulaimon missed two critical free throws. Given new life, Wisconsin's Zak Showalter buried a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60 with 23 seconds left in the second half.
Unfazed, Maryland's super-sophomore Melo Trimble dribbled the clock down to the final seconds before pumping in a long 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 1.2 ticks left. Wisconsin's desperation heave was off the mark and the Terps escaped with a well-earned 63-60 victory.
Trimble has shown for a season and a half that he is a brilliant college basketball player. ESPN's Dan Dakich, a former player and coach, has called Trimble the best point guard in the country on more than one occasion. Melo displayed his many skills against the Badgers, for sure.
Next up for Mark Turgeon's Terps are the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan. Michigan is 12-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten. They like to shoot the 3-pointer and will not be pushovers.
But Maryland could be in the midst of a special season. If they value the basketball and defend the arc, they should be able to take care of business at home.
With Melo Trimble on the scene, the Terps are always more than capable of handling business.
