Maryland may have the upcoming weekend off gamewise, but they can’t escape what is beginning to settle in the world of college hoops: the dog days of the regular season where conference play is no longer new, yet the postseason feels a year away.
Under coach Mark Turgeon, the Terps have been known for February fades: In his eight years at the helm, only the 2014-2015 team posted a better record in the second half of conference play than the first. (That wasn’t always the case as his last three teams at Texas A&M each had better marks in the second half of Big 12 play.)
How does the coach plan to keep this team rested but not rusty?
“We’ll take a little more time off,” Turgeon said, “but when we get together we’ll practice hard.” They could use a breather after a Big Ten schedule that gave them 10 games over a 31-day stretch between Jan. 2 and Feb. 1. “We take care of our bodies — I think really do that on a high level,” sophomore forward Bruno Fernando said, “Even on our days off, we’re coming in here trying to do recovery as much as we can.”
Things get lighter this month: After Wednesday’s win at Nebraska, seven games remain over the final five weekends of the regular season. “This is where teams fold or where teams get better,” said sophomore guard Darryl Morsell. “We don’t want to be the team that folds this year.”
Last year’s team lost seven of eight road games after the start of January; this year’s edition is 5-1 on the road since conference play resumed. And they’ll have six days off before No. 15 Purdue comes to College Park next Tuesday. “It gives us more time to watch film, which is what we really need,” Turgeon said. “And I think down the stretch we’ll probably do a little more with film than we will on the floor.”
After finishing the first half of Big Ten play 7-3, the Terps have won two of three. They’ll have more time off, but after the Boilermakers come to Xfinity Center, the Terps visit No. 7 Michigan and No. 20 Iowa. Rough/ruff.
Saturday’s games:
Georgetown (15-8, 5-5 Big East) vs. Butler (13-10, 4-6), 12 p.m., FSN. The Hoyas are coming off their first sweep of Providence since the conference realigned thanks to dominating the glass (a 50-33 rebounding advantage). Road court advantage has held lately in this series: The Hoyas have won three in a row at Hinkle Fieldhouse (where the rims remain 10 feet above the court), while the Bulldogs have won three straight in D.C.
Coach Patrick Ewing’s team shot 55 percent from 3-point range in the two teams’ meeting Jan. 2 — and that was a game they played minus Mac McClung. Kamar Baldwin was the only Butler starter to score in double figures that night, and the junior lit up the Hoyas for 31 points the last time he came to Capital One Arena. For the record, two years ago these two teams went to overtime in Washington — and last year’s game went to double OT. We politely ask that if you’re attending the game not to make an early dinner reservation.
No. 11 Virginia Tech (18-4, 7-3 ACC) at Clemson (14-8, 4-5), 12 p.m., ESPN2. The Hokies come off a home loss to Louisville, where they allowed more points in the first 13 minutes than they did in 40 minutes at N.C. State. Seriously, the Wolfpack sent the game back to the 19th century by shooting 9-for-54 and resembling teams playing the cartoon Harlem Globetrotters. The Tigers’ win over Georgia Tech Wednesday was its first on the road in league play and their third straight — but before you start looking at first- and second-round NCAA sites, remember the Yellowjackets are 3-7 in league play and the other two wins in the streak have come against Pitt and Wake Forest (a combined 4-16 in the ACC).
American (12-10, 6-5 Patriot League) at Army (11-13, 6-5), 2 p.m. Two of the league’s three 6-5 teams get to this point from opposite directions: AU has won four of five, while the Black Knights have dropped three straight. Despite having the conference’s best rebounder in Matt Wilson (8.6 boards per game), Army ranks seventh in the league on the glass. The Eagles received a nice boost from Patriot League Freshman of the Week Jacob Boonyasith last week, only to see the guard experience growing pains (2 points on 1-6 shooting in the loss at Navy) this week.
VCU (16-6, 7-2 Atlantic 10) at St. Bonaventure (9-13, 5-4), 2 p.m., CBSSN. Double-digit wins over George Mason and George Washington put the Rams one game out of first place in the conference at the halfway mark. Unfortunately, they won’t play league-leading Davidson again in the regular season (the Wildcats took the January matchup at Belk Arena). The Bonnies have won three of four, but losing three players to graduation and three more to transfer have forced coach Mike Schmidt to lean on freshman Kyle Lofton big-time this winter. (The guard’s 38 minutes per game leads the A-10).
Howard (10-13, 4-4 MEAC) at Florida A&M (9-14, 6-2), 4 p.m. The Bison take to the floor for the first time since blowing a 24-point lead to Norfolk State in an 80-78 loss that saw a postgame scuffle brew out of the handshake line. Three players will be suspended: Princewill Anosike, Jalen Jones and Andre Toure — of which only Anosike averages over 15 minutes per game this season. The Rattlers provide a metaphorical one-two punch in being the best 3-point shooting team in the MEAC while also allowing the second-fewest points per game in the league. They also beat Howard in D.C. by 10 on Jan. 5 thanks in part to turning them over 20 times.
Navy (8-14, 5-6 Patriot League) at Lehigh (15-7, 8-3), 4:30 p.m. Consecutive wins over Loyola (MD) and American take the Mids from flirting with last place to one game out of third in the conference. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a loss to Colgate, where they turned the ball over 21 times. Lehigh did take the January matchup in Annapolis as senior Lance Tejada hit five 3-pointers en route to 22 points. The Mids need to get Evan Wieck the ball more: The junior leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage (. 708) but takes under five shots per game.
No. 3 Virginia (20-1, 8-1 ACC) vs. No. 2 Duke (20-2, 8-1), 6 p.m., ESPN. The Cavaliers were done no favors when the league scheduled their home game with the Blue Devils two days before a road trip to North Carolina. The makeup call? Seven days to prepare for Coach K’s crew. The meeting in Durham saw the two teams combine to shoot 67 percent from inside the arc and 5-for-31 (16) from 3-point range. Can U.Va. find a way to contain Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett? (The duo tallied 57 points on 21-of-35 shooting.) And will point guard Ty Jerome’s back (he sat out the Miami win) be good enough for him to keep pace with the healthy Tre Jones (14 points and 5 assists per game since his return from injury)?
George Washington (7-15, 3-6 Atlantic 10) at Richmond (9-14, 3-7), 6 p.m., ESPN+. Good news for those who enjoyed the A-10 Tournament at Capital One Arena last March: The league’s postseason tourney returns to D.C. in 2022. Even with none of the local schools reaching the weekend, it was a great five days, with just one blowout (naturally the late Friday 3-vs.-6 quarterfinal) and a thrilling final (Davidson upsetting Rhode Island 58-57). The January meeting between these two schools saw the Spiders win by 20. While rebounding (Richmond held a 38-25 edge on the glass) was a major factor that day, the major mismatch between these schools is ball security: GW ranks 12th in the league in turnover margin, while the Spiders’ Jacob Gilyard leads the conference in steals.
Sunday’s game:
George Mason (13-10, 7-3 Atlantic 10) vs. La Salle (7-14, 5-4), 2 p.m. The Explorers are attempting to be this year’s Richmond: Last winter, the Spiders bounced back from a 2-10 nonconference mark to post a .500 record in league play and almost upset NCAA Tournament at-large team St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinals. The Patriots are trying to avoid becoming this year’s VCU: The Rams lost six of eight last February to finish without a winning record for the first time since they joined the A-10. Mason’s coming off a disaster in Richmond, where they turned the ball over 20 times and allowed 57 percent shooting. La Salle has won four straight — but those victories have all come against the bottom four schools in the league.
