Maryland V. Wagner Preview

It’s tip-off time for Terps basketball! The Maryland Terrapins take on the Wagner Seahawks for the first (official) game of the 2014-2015 season this Friday at 7:30 P.M. Catch the action at the XFinity Center in College Park, or follow along online on the ESPN3 website or app. As always, discuss on the forums here and be sure to leave your prediction.

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The Seahawks, Staten Island’s finest, aren’t necessarily the finest outift the Terrapins will face all year, but they’re certainly no slouches in their own right. Against teams that aren’t considered big-time programs, they do fairly well: in the Northeast Conference last season, the Seahawks went 19-12 and finished second overall behind St. Mary’s.

Bashir Mason, at 30 years old, happens to be the youngest head coach in Division I college basketball, but he’s done a solid job his first two years with the Seahawks. Defensively, the Seahawks play a solid brand of basketball that translates pretty well against even the tough opponents.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks lose four of five starters from last season, which means there’s going to be a lot of questions for them moving forward. Senior guard Kenneth Ortiz was one of the better defenders on the team to go along with being the Seahawks leading scorer, and Naofall Folahan was a shot blocking machine and a large reason why they were one of the top defensive teams in the country. The also lose the remainder of their backcourt in Latif Rivers, who threw in a lot of buckets for his Seahawks career.

Meanwhile, the Terrapins feature some equally new faces and have questions of their own. With freshman guard Melo Trimble prepping for his first home start (that isn’t an exhibition) as point guard for the Terrapins and five contributors leaving from last season, the Terps are going to look very different.

But the sharpshooting of both Trimble, new guard Dion Wiley, and wing Jared Nickens during two preseason games against San Francisco State and Bowie State has given the fan base some hope that they may have some addition by subtraction (then addition). Trimble and Wiley looked dominant against inferior opponents, while Nickens seems to be an even better shooter than anyone expected, whcih bodes well for a team that needs to make up a lot of offense.

Of course, there are still the mainstays, Dez Wells and Jake Layman, both in their third seasons with the Terps who are ready to hold down the fort as leaders on this team. Throw in the fact that North Carolina A&T transfer Richaud Pack has shined in his role as a combo guard, and things are actually looking up for the Terps.
Biggest Factor for the Seahawks: Can they slow down the Terps guards?

The Seahawks lost most of their offense from last season, and it remains to be seen whether or not the defense was a result of the coach or due to the players. Kenneth Ortiz was a very good defender, and played a big role in providing the Seahawks with at least one backcourt stopper against good teams. They forced teams into bad shots all year long last season, a large reason why they were a top thirty team in defensive possession length.

Well that same man-to-man style is going to be very unforgiving against a Terps team with Dez Wells, Melo Trimble, and Dion Wiley. The newcomers have likely never faced off against a team as talented as the Terps in their entire lives, and these three will make you pay in more ways than one should you leave them unattended.

The only way the Seahawks will win this game is by frustrating the Terps with a zone in a similar manner that the Boston Terriers did last year…and praying for a miracle. This team simply has too many shooters for all of them to go cold at once, and too many athletic guards that can collapse that zone. But playing a halfcourt set and slowing this team down might mitigate some of the damage the Terps can cause.

The Terps will win if: their front court doesn’t get absolutely exposed.

When you watch the Terps play, the only actual flaw on that team is in the front court. Damonte Dodd and Jonathan Graham, while capable defenders, are not really on par talent wise with the rest of the team. Dodd did a great job defending the rim for the Terps during the preseason, and really that’s all he needed to do. Still, he did not stand out against some really bad teams, and that might be worrisome to teams.

The Terps go out there with four offensive weapons while Graham and Dodd are on the court, and that should theoretically allow teams to cheat a little on the other players or bring in a help defender more readily. Worst case scenario you can foul both Dodd and Graham at will, because neither is a particularly great free throw shooter.

Still, these two defend well and play very hard, and even if Maryland played with five guards on the court at once, there’s a good chance they would still beat the Seahawks.

Key Seahawk to look out for: F Hugo Naurais

Hugo Naurais (pronounced no-REESE) has some of the worst stats you’ll find on the Seahawks, but ignore those for a second. Naurais actually happens to be a pretty solid defender on the court, and has a sturdy frame and a decent amount of length at ~6’9″. Having watched a little of him before, he’s actually a surprisingly good passer from the post and on outlets. Naurais doesn’t exactly run the offense, but he keeps it moving relatively well.

The biggest danger for the Terps would be if a guy like Naurais heats up, as he happens to possess a very capable three-point jumper. Again, that’s a big if, as he has yet to realize his potential since stepping into America from France. Theoretically he’s a stretch four with solid size and great hands. In practice, that hasn’t been the case at all. But if Naurais can open up the floor for Wagner, it will at least give them a chance.

Final Prediction: Terps 84, Seahawks 47

Maryland’s superb guards will make life a living hell for any less talented team that decides to run man-to-man against them this year. This game will be no different, and the Seahawks will get run off the court by the Terps sharpshooters as they get kickout after kickout when Wagner inevitably switches to a zone they’re unfamiliar with.

Michael Willis
Michael Willis

D.C. resident. Graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia (four year letterman in hockey) and University of Maryland, College Park. Played three years of ice hockey at Maryland. Former writer for Washington Wizards blog (TheDCDime.com), current hockey coach at Gonzaga College Preparatory School. Terrapin nut. Editor of Terrapin Station.

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