Entering the season, Maryland point guard Melo Trimble was seen as one of the nation’s best floor generals, and a good argument can be made that he remains in the conversation. Averaging 14.0 points and 5.2 assists per game, Trimble leads the Terps in both statistical categories on the season. However, over the last five games against Division I competition he has struggled mightily. Maryland managed to salvage a split of the week with an 86-82 win over Michigan Sunday afternoon, but the fact that their expected leader continues to struggle is a major concern for Mark Turgeon’s team.
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Sunday, Trimble scored 14 points on 3-for-10 shooting and was also responsible for eight rebounds, one assist and seven turnovers. The shots still aren’t falling, and at times Sunday Trimble appeared to be pressing in that regard. Over-penetrating, thus resulting in high degree of difficulty shots that stood little chance of falling (or even getting a trip to the foul line out of it), got Trimble in trouble on multiple occasions and that’s been a theme for him in recent weeks.
Over the last five games (Division I competition) Trimble’s shooting 14-for-53 from the field, which works out to 26.4 percent. If not for his ability to get to the foul line, as Trimble attempted eight free throws or more in four of those five games, the scoring numbers would be even worse.
All that being said, it’s the turnovers that are of far greater concern not only for the remainder of the regular season, but for postseason play as well.
Sunday represented the statistical low point for Trimble, as it was the first time all season he’s failed to register multiple assists in a game. Add in a turnover account only eclipsed by the eight he had in the loss at North Carolina in early December (he counted those miscues with 12 assists), and it was a rough day at the XFINITY Center for Melo. And in the aforementioned five-game stretch Trimble’s racked up 23 assists and 23 turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio that leaves much to be desired. On the season his ratio is 1.8, and as a team Maryland’s in the middle of the Big Ten pecking order with a ratio of 1.2.
The good news for Maryland is that they’ve been able to do enough when they do take care of the ball and on the defensive end of the floor to account for the turnover problem on most nights. However that’s a dangerous game to play heading into March, where an off night could result in the season coming to an end. Trimble isn’t alone when it comes to the turnover problems, but as the point guard he’s where the offensive execution begins. At various points within games Turgeon’s looked to relieve some of that pressure by playing Trimble off the ball, using Rasheed Sulaimon (or at times Sunday Jaylen Brantley) at the point. But the sophomore remains mired in a slump that’s more concerning from a playmaking/turnover standpoint than shot accuracy.
Maryland has enough scoring options to account for Trimble not shooting a high percentage from the field. But if they’re to play deep into March and possibly early April, they need Trimble to lead the way when it comes to taking better care of the basketball. Maryland got away with him struggling mightily in that regard Sunday, but that isn’t a “formula” they can consistently rely upon as the games get even bigger than they already are.
THOUGHTS ON DEFENSIVE SWITCHES: One of Maryland’s biggest issues against Michigan came on the defensive end, specifically how they went about defending the Wolverines in ball-screen situations. The Terrapins decided to switch in many of those instances, leaving the big man defending a guard such as Derrick Walton Jr. and the guard given the task of accounting for the screener. In many cases the screening big man was Mark Donnal, and Maryland did not do a good job of accounting for him. Donnal scored 22 of his 25 points in the second half, and while many of his shots came on rolls into the paint he also stepped out to hit a couple three-pointers. Donnal proved tougher to account for defensively than many expected, and the strategy to switch ball screens did not work particularly well.
So should Maryland abandon that strategy from this point on? That’s a question to be answered in the individual match-ups, beginning with Saturday’s game at Purdue. The Boilermakers have plenty of size, and in A.J. Hammons they possess a 7-footer capable of popping out to hit jumpers as opposed to rolling every time he sets a ball screen. Caleb Swanigan also has the ability to step out with Isaac Haas being more comfortable in the post, and there’s also the possible wild card of Purdue going small on occasion and using Vince Edwards at the four. While it would be nice to have a concrete answer with regards to how Maryland will defend ball screens moving forward, the personnel of the opposition will obviously have an impact.
BENCH CONTRIBUTIONS KEY MOVING FORWARD: Mid- to late-February is a time when programs look to fine-tune their rotation for the stretch run, and Maryland is no different in that regard. Sunday the Terps went eight deep, and they received solid contributions from all three reserves who took the floor.
Jared Nickens, whose three-point struggles were well-documented earlier in Big Ten play, knocked down a pair of three-pointers in scoring his six points. Damonte Dodd provided some needed help in the post, scoring seven points but more importantly giving the team a defensive presence inside with six boards and two blocks. For Dodd this performance was a continuation of what he managed to do in the loss at Minnesota, where he grabbed nine rebounds and blocked six shots in place of the suspended Diamond Stone. And Jaylen Brantley capped Maryland’s 14-0 first-half run with five straight points while also racking up three steals.
The key for all three down the stretch, especially Nickens and Brantley, is consistency. The Brantley “question” is important due in large part to Trimble’s recent struggles. Whether the reason is fatigue/health or the simple fact that Trimble’s struggling, that’s the one spot on the floor where Maryland faces its greatest question with regards to depth. Sure Sulaimon can handle the job for stretches of time, but he’s at his best making plays on the wing. If Brantley can build on Sunday, that will definitely help Maryland down the stretch.
BSL Analyst
Raphielle’s been writing about college sports for more than a decade, making the move to college basketball alone in 2013. Beginning his work with the former website CollegeHoops.net in 2003, Raphielle spent 3 years writing for NBCSports.com beginning 2013, covering CBB and the Olympics. In 2016, Raphielle joined Heavy.com. If there’s a game on, there’s a strong likelihood that he’s watching it.