Terps know their effort needs to turn into wins Throughout his first season at Maryland, coach Mark Turgeon often has lapsed into a familiar monologue about winning and losing. He did it again Wednesday night after the Terrapins fell to Duke.
“I tell you guys all the time, I don’t get caught up in winning and losing,” Turgeon said. “I know you don’t believe me, because obviously you don’t like to lose. What I saw tonight was encouraging.”
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But the discouraged look on Turgeon’s face told another tale.
| Up next |
| Virginia Tech at Maryland |
| When » Saturday, 2:30 p.m. |
| Where » Comcast Center |
| TV » Ch. 5 |
Yes, the Terps are taking incremental steps toward improvement. Yes, they are competing harder. Yes, they are taking better shots. But they also are losing. Wednesday’s defeat was their third in a row and fourth in the last six games following a seven-game winning streak.
At some point, especially with a young team that rotates three freshmen and three sophomores, don’t losses take their toll regardless? Freshman forward Ashton Pankey says no.
“We know we’re a work in progress,” Pankey said. “I didn’t play last year. Nobody played for Coach Turgeon. We’re all still learning. We’re all still getting used to the system. We’re getting new plays almost every day. It’s a process. We’re gonna be good.”
When Maryland (12-7, 2-3) plays host to struggling Virginia Tech (12-8, 1-4) on Saturday, there will be no confusing a moral victory for an actual one.
“It has been our trademark for the past few years,” senior Sean Mosley said of losing close games. “Maybe it would have meant something last year but not anymore. It means something when you turn around and win.”
Last year, a home loss to Virginia Tech was pivotal in a 19-14 season in which the Terps failed to make a postseason tournament. In the 74-57 defeat, Maryland shot 35.7 percent and yielded 53.6 percent shooting. It came after the Terps had failed to register a signature win, losing six games by single-digit margins, including four to ranked teams.
This season is starting to take on the look of last year. At this stage in 2010-11, Maryland had the same record in and out of the conference. But after a stretch in which Maryland won seven of 10, it lost four of its last five, with none of the defeats by fewer than 11 points. It was clear Maryland had lost its edge, beaten down in part by its early string of heartbreaking losses.
Wednesday’s loss to Duke was another example of Maryland playing well in defeat. The Terps took away the Blue Devils’ primary offensive weapon — the 3-point shot — as they hit just three of 16 (18.8 percent). But Duke adjusted with strong inside play as its frontcourt made 18 of 26 shots (69.2 percent).
“We followed the game plan a lot better than we have,” Turgeon said. “Defensively we’re growing up. We didn’t win the game, but we hung around to the three-minute mark against a pretty good team.”
Coming off an emotionally draining loss, Maryland’s resilience and Turgeon’s ability to motivate his team will be put to the test by Virginia Tech. This time, the only congratulations coming the Terps’ way will be for a victory.
“Staying close to [within] three or four doesn’t get you into the tournament,” Mosley said. “That’s all that matters.”
