2019-20 maryland

3/8/2020 – Michigan 70, Maryland 83 – 19-12, 10-10 Big Ten

Maryland is not known for looking particularly… uh… coached even when they're pretty good. Your author has taken in many of their games this season, one in which they won a share of the title in the toughest Big Ten ever. Despite the results the number one thing I've thought during these games is DO SOMETHING! RUN A PLAY!

This is a common experience.

Mark Turgeon is one of the better coaches in college basketball. Also, he has like three plays, maximum

— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) March 1, 2020

Does Turgeon not have, like, plays

— Drew Magary (@drewmagary) March 1, 2020

In situations like these it's always wise to self-administer a Dunning-Krueger check. I am not a basketball coach. I am an amateur internet basketball sleuth.

Am I out of touch? Nope! It's the children who are wrong.

Mark Turgeon: "Guys, we've played six [games] in 13 [days.] That was a tough stretch for us, okay? So we haven't really had a lot of practice time — and I'm not making excuses, better team won — but we have like five plays that we can run."

— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) December 11, 2019

The perception is in fact reality. Matt Painter takes guys who look like NAIA dudes and has them run in Mandelbrot loops until some guy's open in the corner; Mark Turgeon runs pick and roll, the end.

So it felt pretty bad in the first half when Michigan was struggling to find shots against a Maryland team that was doing some things on offense that weren't "I dunno dribble around and jack something up." Then the TV cut to a Maryland huddle, which featured DeAndre Haynes exhorting the Terrapins about something or other while Mark Turgeon looked on. He was probably thinking "man, DeAndre is doing a really good job."

Cold comfort, but at least the world made a little more sense.

[After THE JUMP: same old story]

1 hour and 41 minutes

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1. Hoops vs Maryland

starts at 1:00

Why is scrub city always so good against Michigan? Part of it of course is they needed to guard Jalen Smith at the arc and that creates space for the other guys. Nothing Michigan can do about Cowan hitting those shots: the guards contested but they're shorter. Michigan hasn't shot above 30% for six games: Eli and Livers are 0/8 from three, meanwhile the guys the scouting report says to let them shoot are 6/8. Maryland looks good: cut to the sideline and (former Michigan assistant) DeAndre Haynes is calling all the shots. Franz! D.J. Carstenson gets to litigate another ripped jersey, after X hits a free throw, which means he fouls out halfway through his free throws and Teske has to take the 2nd.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after The Jump]

Maryland's Senior Day took on a game of destiny feel from the early going. The afternoon's primary honoree, Anthony Cowan, scored the first points. Jalen Smith gave Michigan's big men a difficult challenge. Most difficult to overcome, the Terp shooters—who've been wayward for most of the season—kept connecting on three-pointers.

David DeJulius did his damndest to keep the Wolverines in the game anyway, scoring a career-high 20 points on 12 shooting possessions in 20 minutes on the floor. His contributions plus strong offensive games from Franz Wagner (15 points on 11 shooting possessions) and Zavier Simpson (13 points, six assists) kept Michigan hanging around until the end. The third bad outing in four games from Isaiah Livers, however, made it tough to keep pace—he mustered six points on 2/8 shooting from the floor.

Scoring wasn't really the issue, though. Maryland scored 1.30 points per possession, the fourth-worst mark Michigan has allowed this season. While star center Jalen Smith only made 1/5 three-pointers, the mere threat of his outside shot changed the way the Wolverines defended, and the extra attention paid to him opened up opportunities for others. Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins, both languishing near 30% as three-point shooters this season, each made 3/4 shots from beyond the arc to score 19 and 15 points, respectively. Cowan hit 7/9 two-pointers with Michigan's big men often drawn away from the hoop, finishing with 20 points and eight assists.

Smith, for his part, was a nightmare when he wasn't shooting from the outside. He scored 18 points, with his lone triple a deflating 35-foot runner to beat the first-half buzzer. He pulled down three offensive rebounds among his 11 boards. On defense, he added four blocks and a steal. Michigan only made five shots in the restricted area; Maryland hit 12.

Eric Ayala, presumably after sinking an unlikely dagger [Sherman]

Some of the defensive issues for the Wolverines were communication breakdowns. Some were personnel problems borne from having to match up with Smith. Some were just bad luck; seemingly every time Michigan made a push, Ayala canned a tough jumper to kill the momentum.

In fact, the box score shows a remarkably even game with a critical difference. Maryland pulled down only two more offensive rebounds and committed one fewer turnover than Michigan, and their three-point advantage on five extra attempts at the free-throw line only occurred because of late intentional fouling. Both teams attempted 20 three-pointers; the Terps hit eight to Michigan's six. Both teams attempted 30 two-pointers; Maryland made 20 to the Wolverines's 18.

Meanwhile, Simpson became the first player I can remember to foul out between free-throw attempts when a DJ Carstensen-led crew reviewed his fall after getting hammered at the rim by Smith with under 30 seconds left in a game that was functionally over. Simpson helped break a hard fall by grabbing Smith's jersey, which tugged the mesh but did nothing to put Smith in harm. Despite, you know, the conference going over this very play with this very ref to correct this very problem, Simpson got called for a flagrant that fouled him out of the game. Jon Teske had to sub in to take the second free throw. His miss was initially credited to Simpson, presumably because StatBroadcast isn't prepared for officials to be this incompetent.

At least that one didn't impact the outcome of a rivalry game.

Anyway, Michigan was locked into the 8/9 game against Rutgers regardless of this game's outcome, while Maryland gets to celebrate a shared Big Ten title that nearly slipped out of their grasp down the stretch. You'll probably forget any details from this game within a week. Except the Carstensen fiasco. Good lord, man. Get it together.

[Hit THE JUMP for the box score.]