The University of Maryland Terrapins opened their 2014-15 season with a 82-48 demolishing of the Wagner Seahawks at the Xfinity Center.

The talent disparity between the Terps and Wagner was clearly immense, but there was still information to be gleaned from MD’s performance.

In the last month, Coach Turgeon has said he has never felt better about his MD program. It was easy to see why tonight. This can be the best Terps team since Greivis Vasquez’s Senior year (’09-’10).

Next-up for MD is Central Connecticut State on Monday night.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Quick Hits:

1) There had been lots of talk in the preseason about MD’s Motion Offense. The positives from the exhibition wins carried over into tonight. We saw positive spacing, ball hand-offs, extra passes, and made shots. Plenty to smile about tonight if you are a Terps fan. Coach Turgeon looks to have better talent to work with, but he also gets credit for the adjustments he has made to his offense.

2) Another thing to like was MD’s defense. They packed the interior, and dared Wagner to shoot over the top. For the game, the Terps limited Wagner to 27% from the floor.

3) In the first 20 minutes, MD was 6 of 10 from outside. Each of the made threes coming from first-year Terps. For the game, MD was 7 of 14.

4) Clearly Trimble has entered College Park with an immense amount of attention. There might have had been a couple of early jitters, but he quickly got past that. He knocked down two 3’s in the first half. He showed the jets. It didn’t take long for him to look comfortable. What I liked was his ability to operate at multiple speeds. The intermediate jumper with 5 minutes left was also nice. Trimble finished his first game with 13 points, going 5 of 6 from the line. He passed the ball fine, but he did finish with 0 assists.

5) Graham got the start at Center. His energy and willingness to play defense is always there. Tonight we saw him making good decisions finding teammates. One thing to watch when he does play, is his foul shooting. Has been a problem for him previously, he supposedly has worked hard to improve in that regard.

6) Maryland also won the battle of the boards, 44 to 35.

7) With Smotrycz currently injured, Layman is getting the opportunity to start at the 4. MD’s athleticism looks strong with 3 starting guards plus Jake together on the floor. The Junior finished with 16 points, 9 boards, and 6 assists.

8) Senior Dez Wells looked to be noticeably thinner. All MD fans collectively stopped breathing when he went down in pain in the first half. It was great seeing him quickly back smiling and on the floor. Without forcing much, Wells finished with a game high 18 points. (7 of 11 from the floor.)

9) Pack hit two 3’s in the 1st half. With Trimble picking up his 3rd foul fairly early in the 2nd half, we got to see Pack get some additional minutes running the offense.  Ram also had time as the backup PG, with some playing time in the first half. Back in the game late, Pack ran the court for a layup. A bit more size then I anticipated. In addition to his 8 points, he also added 6 rebounds.

10) Dodd helped out on the boards, grabbing 8 off the bench. His lone basket came by backing his defender down, and showing a nice little hook. In addition to those boards, Dodd had 6 points, and 2 blocks.  Just 4 of 8 at the line.

11) Picking-up where they left off in the Exhibitions, Wiley and Nickens showed they were not going to be shy at all. Loved that they were both ready to go Day 1.  One of the things I liked best in the 1st half was that Nickens badly missed his first 3 attempt, but that did not prevent him from taking (and making) the next opportunity he had. This Freshman duo combined for 13 points, 3 boards, and 2 assists. Wiley was just 3 of 6 at the line. They look pretty polished.

12) Cekovsky’s first basket came on a dunk. Good hands shown on that play. Got some time together with Dodd – the Towers helping to protect the rim better than anything MD offered last year. Big block from the Freshman with 90 seconds left. 3 points, 3 boards, 2 blocks.

13) The Terps were just 27-41 (66%) at the foul line.

14) Maryland finished the game with 14 turnovers.

15) The Terrapins shot 55% from the floor (24 of 44). They finished with 9 assists.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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