Rebounding improves as well over last month Suddenly — and perhaps unexpectedly — the Maryland Terrapins have the appearance of a complete defensive team.
There’s a shot-blocking center in 7-foot-1 Alex Len and two power forwards who look the part in 6-8 James Padgett and 6-9 Ashton Pankey. On the wings are long, quick disrupters in 6-6 Nick Faust and 6-5 Mychal Parker and a savvy, senior stopper in 6-4 Sean Mosley. Since returning last month from a broken foot, Pe’Shon Howard has demonstrated his value as a defender.
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In a 61-50 victory over Georgia Tech on Sunday, Maryland put it all together, limiting the Yellow Jackets to 33.9 percent shooting overall and 17.6 percent from beyond the arc. It was the lowest scoring output for a Maryland opponent this season by 10 points.
| UP NEXT | ||||
| Maryland at Florida State | ||||
| When » | Tuesday, 9 p.m. | |||
| Where » | Tucker Center, | Tallahassee, Fla. | ||
| TV » | ESPNU | |||
“We were out-toughed,” Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory said.
Once a daily source of angst for first-year coach Mark Turgeon, defense has become a way to win games for Maryland (12-4, 2-1).
“Mark and I come from the same school of thought about defense,” Gregory said. “It was hard to score out there.”
The Terps will try to create the same problems Tuesday night for Florida State (11-6, 2-1). It won’t be easy. This is a short turnaround for Maryland, which has lost four of its last five trips to Tallahassee, Fla. In addition, the Seminoles are coming off a 90-57 demolition of then-No. 3 North Carolina in which Deividas Dulkys hit eight of 10 shots from beyond the arc on his way to a career-high 32 points.
“We know we’re taking on a whole other animal now going on the road,” Turgeon said. “It will be another great challenge for us.”
The rapid improvement of the Terps’ defense began when Howard and Len joined the squad in late December. In the first nine games, Maryland foes shot 44.7 percent overall and 34 percent from beyond the arc. In the last seven games, Maryland opponents have shot 40.3 percent overall and 27.8 percent from the arc.
The uptick in rebounding also has been dramatic. In their first nine games, the Terps collected a total of seven more boards than their foes (an average of 0.8 per game). In their last seven games, they have outrebounded opponents by 59 (an average of 8.4 per game).
Turgeon has often said the formula for success on the road is defense and rebounding. The Terps didn’t do either particularly well in a loss at N.C. State in their first true road test. It was the only game since Len joined the team in which Maryland was outrebounded.
To accomplish Turgeon’s road objectives, Maryland will have to beat Florida State at its own game. Under Leonard Hamilton, the rugged Seminoles rank third in the nation in field goal defense (36.1 percent), led by 6-10 senior Bernard James, a 26-year-old Air Force veteran who averages 9.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
“We’re playing a very big, strong, athletic team,” Turgeon said. “We’ll keep emphasizing the same things that we emphasize to be successful on the road — defending and rebounding.”
