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| Turnovers trouble Terps basketball heading into rematch with Purdue | Turnovers trouble Terps basketball heading into rematch with Purdue |
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| Maryland point guard Melo Trimble relished his team’s bye this week, which allowed the sophomore to rest his sore hamstring and put up hundreds of jump shots in the gym. The reprieve also lent him time to sit down with Coach Mark Turgeon and dissect each of his 18 turnovers during the past three games, some of which have been baffling. | Maryland point guard Melo Trimble relished his team’s bye this week, which allowed the sophomore to rest his sore hamstring and put up hundreds of jump shots in the gym. The reprieve also lent him time to sit down with Coach Mark Turgeon and dissect each of his 18 turnovers during the past three games, some of which have been baffling. |
| “I just haven’t been the same. My turnovers have been something that has been bothering me,” Trimble said. “Nobody likes to turn the ball over, especially when you’re a point guard. When it hurts the team, it hurts even more.” | “I just haven’t been the same. My turnovers have been something that has been bothering me,” Trimble said. “Nobody likes to turn the ball over, especially when you’re a point guard. When it hurts the team, it hurts even more.” |
| [Maryland’s March, Part 5: Terps tested by chemistry equation] | [Maryland’s March, Part 5: Terps tested by chemistry equation] |
| Maryland has committed 59 turnovers in the past four games, highlighting a season-long issue that Turgeon vowed to get to the root of ahead of Saturday’s showdown at No. 20 Purdue. After consecutive losses, the 10th-ranked Terrapins rebounded with an 86-82 win over Michigan on Sunday, a balanced offensive performance marred by 18 turnovers. | Maryland has committed 59 turnovers in the past four games, highlighting a season-long issue that Turgeon vowed to get to the root of ahead of Saturday’s showdown at No. 20 Purdue. After consecutive losses, the 10th-ranked Terrapins rebounded with an 86-82 win over Michigan on Sunday, a balanced offensive performance marred by 18 turnovers. |
| Maryland (23-5, 11-4 Big Ten) has surrendered 60 points off turnovers over its past four conference games, including 21 to Michigan, 19 to Minnesota and 16 to Wisconsin. It ranks 12th in the Big Ten in turnover margin (minus-2.0 per game) and commits turnovers on 19.5 percent of its possessions, which ranks 264th in the country according to statistician Ken Pomeroy. | Maryland (23-5, 11-4 Big Ten) has surrendered 60 points off turnovers over its past four conference games, including 21 to Michigan, 19 to Minnesota and 16 to Wisconsin. It ranks 12th in the Big Ten in turnover margin (minus-2.0 per game) and commits turnovers on 19.5 percent of its possessions, which ranks 264th in the country according to statistician Ken Pomeroy. |
| “Some of the turnovers have been ridiculous, to be honest with you. Traveling with no one guarding you, just losing the ball,” Turgeon said. “Really the worst part of our turnovers is that they’ve led to layups. Sometimes you just throw it in the stands and it looks bad. But at least you get to set your defense.” | “Some of the turnovers have been ridiculous, to be honest with you. Traveling with no one guarding you, just losing the ball,” Turgeon said. “Really the worst part of our turnovers is that they’ve led to layups. Sometimes you just throw it in the stands and it looks bad. But at least you get to set your defense.” |
| [Grayson Allen plays dirty, and Coach K declines to put his foot down] | [Grayson Allen plays dirty, and Coach K declines to put his foot down] |
| Turgeon sat down individually with his players to assess their ball-security issues this week, and aside from the ongoing push to improve Maryland’s rebounding margin (plus-4.3 per game), the focal point of practices was taking care of the ball. Turgeon made his players run sprints for their mistakes, then amped up the punishment by forcing players to run “The Wall” — the steep student-section stairs on the west end of Xfinity Center — if they committed multiple turnovers. That included junior power forward Robert Carter Jr., who drew laughs from reporters Friday for blaming a teammate for his run up the steps after an ill-advised play during one practice. | |
| “We feel like if we stop doing that, we’ll be pretty hard to beat,” Carter said. | “We feel like if we stop doing that, we’ll be pretty hard to beat,” Carter said. |
| Said Trimble: “At the end of the day, we just have to play basketball. [Turgeon] wants us to be basketball players, not robots.” | Said Trimble: “At the end of the day, we just have to play basketball. [Turgeon] wants us to be basketball players, not robots.” |
| Perhaps Maryland’s most efficient offensive performance of the month came in a 72-61 win over the Boilermakers on Feb. 6. It centered on Carter’s versatility. He hit 4 of 6 three-point attempts and gashed Purdue in pick-and-pop situations with Trimble, who had seven assists against just one turnover even as the Boilermakers tried to counter with a small lineup in the second half. As a team, the Terrapins committed only eight turnovers. | Perhaps Maryland’s most efficient offensive performance of the month came in a 72-61 win over the Boilermakers on Feb. 6. It centered on Carter’s versatility. He hit 4 of 6 three-point attempts and gashed Purdue in pick-and-pop situations with Trimble, who had seven assists against just one turnover even as the Boilermakers tried to counter with a small lineup in the second half. As a team, the Terrapins committed only eight turnovers. |
| Much has been made of Maryland’s matchup against Purdue’s mammoth front court — which includes 7-foot center A.J. Hammons, 7-2 center Isaac Haas and 6-9 freshman forward Caleb Swanigan — but Turgeon expects the Boilermakers (21-7, 9-6) to throw a curveball Saturday. | Much has been made of Maryland’s matchup against Purdue’s mammoth front court — which includes 7-foot center A.J. Hammons, 7-2 center Isaac Haas and 6-9 freshman forward Caleb Swanigan — but Turgeon expects the Boilermakers (21-7, 9-6) to throw a curveball Saturday. |
| “Purdue might come with a different game plan, like Wisconsin did the second time we played them. The best lineup for Purdue is when they went small” in the first meeting, Turgeon said. “It helped their ball-screen defense, and it hurt us. Hopefully, the lesson is learned and we’re better against their small lineup than we were here.” | “Purdue might come with a different game plan, like Wisconsin did the second time we played them. The best lineup for Purdue is when they went small” in the first meeting, Turgeon said. “It helped their ball-screen defense, and it hurt us. Hopefully, the lesson is learned and we’re better against their small lineup than we were here.” |
| Regardless, Turgeon just wants his team to stop squandering possessions and return to the efficiency of their first meeting. The key, he said, is trust — in each other and in his vision for them. | |
| Turgeon wasn’t just thinking about Saturday’s game but also of the final weeks of the season. With three regular season games remaining, Maryland is in position to earn a double-bye into the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, given to the top four seeds. It is tied for second with Iowa , 1 1/2 games behind Indiana, which will host the Terrapins in the regular season finale March 6. As Turgeon noted, the head-to-head matchup and Maryland’s game in hand over Indiana, along with a head-to-head tiebreaker vs. Iowa, mean his team controls its destiny in pursuit of a league title. | |
| “I don’t think the guys can see past what they’re going to have for dinner. But we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do down the road,” Turgeon said. “They’re just going to have to trust me on that.” | “I don’t think the guys can see past what they’re going to have for dinner. But we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do down the road,” Turgeon said. “They’re just going to have to trust me on that.” |