Maryland’s road to March has been bumpy so far this winter, to say the least.
An 0-4 start in true road games included the annual hiccup at Penn State (although for scheduling purposes, this season it happened in December), a shocker at short-handed Seton Hall (although the Pirates have played their way back into the Top 25), a flameout at Iowa, and a last-minute meltdown at Wisconsin.
So when the Terps started slowly once again at last-place Northwestern, we weren’t shocked by any stretch of the imagination. When they trailed the Wildcats by 14 at the half, the narrative was in motion once again.
But then Jalen Smith happened: The sophomore forward scored 21 of his 25 points after intermission, as the Terps won their first road game of the winter 77-66. And he wasn’t done: Smith scored 29 points — including the go-ahead basket, with 16 seconds left in Sunday’s 77-76 win at Indiana (the Terps’ first win in Bloomington since joining the Big Ten). The Baltimore native also grabbed 11 rebounds in each of the Terrapins’ wins, and was named Big Ten Player of the Week. Almost halfway through league play, the 6-foot-10 forward ranks eighth in the Big Ten in scoring, fourth in rebounding, and third in blocked shots. If he had enough attempts to qualify, Smith’s 42.9% would be tied for the league lead … in three-point shooting. In the coming weeks, he’ll have duels with centers Luka Garza of Iowa and Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu. And just like he’s helped rewrite his team’s road performance narrative, Jalen Smith can rewrite his own story as the Big Man of the Big Ten.
Wow of the Week: Towson has won six in a row to suddenly become a factor in the CAA race. The Tigers are doing it with defense, allowing the fewest points per game while holding foes to the lowest shooting percentage in the conference. They’re also second best in the league at defending the three and in rebounding. While senior guard Brian Fobbs is their best offensive threat (16 points per game), freshman Jason Gibson is heating up with double-digit efforts in three of his last five games (including 21 points in a win at William & Mary). Coach Pat Skerry has won 20 games three times since taking the reins of the program in 2011; all of a sudden this team is in the mix to begin the 2020s with a 20-win campaign.
Player to Watch: Virginia Tech is faring well in their first season of the post-Buzz Williams era. One reason has been the play of freshman guard Landers Nolley II — The Atlanta, GA native is averaging 18 points with six rebounds and three assists while shooting 37% from three-point range. He is the true barometer for this team: In five ACC wins, he’s netting 23 points per game while Nolley is averaging 13 points in their four league losses.
League Look: The Atlantic 10 has six schools with more than 14 wins. While No. 7 Dayton is the only school in this week’s Top 25, more than just Dayton. Rhode Island is also receiving votes this week, while VCU as well as Duquesne have also been on ballots this winter. A good year for the A-10 means bad news for George Washington and George Mason: Both schools are under .500 in league play and are one bad week away from dipping into the bottom four (meaning they play in the dreaded First Round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament). I enjoyed covering the tournament when it was held at Capital One Arena two years ago; I wish I didn’t have to wait two more years for the A-10 to return to DC.
Ballot Battles: While my top ten stayed the same this week, the bottom of my Top 25 got overturned with Stanford, Florida, Duquesne and Memphis making their exits. Back in is plucky Akron from the MAC and making its debut from the Southern is East Tennessee State. Unfortunately my number 26 school Houston did not make the cut this week, prompting ire from the Cougar fan base. I can only imagine how mad they’d be if the Big 12 had let them in the conference.
Starting Five
Tuesday: Georgetown vs. No. 16 Butler. The Bulldogs lead the Big East in rebounding margin while the Hoyas rank second; but Butler is also tops in scoring defense, while also leading the conference in shooting and defensive field goal percentage. They also boast Kamara Baldwin; the senior scored 31 points in Saturday’s overtime win against Marquette. The big question mark is junior guard Aaron Thompson; the Paul VI product sat out the Marquette with a left wrist injury. If he’s able to play he’ll face DeMatha Catholic product Terrell Allen, who remembers Thompson well from their younger days.
Also Tuesday: VCU at Richmond. College basketball rivalries have nothing on our capital city duo. It’s state school versus private institution. It’s 21st Century Cinderella against the original article. It’s also a winter where both programs are A-10 contenders for the first time in three years: each is 15-5 and 5-2 in the conference. The Rams have health on their side this time as Spiders’ leading scorer Blake Francis is out with a sternum injury.
Thursday: No. 15 Maryland vs. No. 18 Iowa. The Terps had as many turnovers as made baskets (17) in their Jan. 10 loss at the Hawkeyes. Coach Fran McCafferty’s team shot 3-20 from three point range Monday against Wisconsin; no matter as they finished off the Badgers thanks to a 23-5 closing run. Jalen Smith will have his hands full against Luka Garza as the junior center leads the Big Ten in scoring and ranks second in rebounding.
Also Thursday: Towson vs. UNC-Wilmington. How much of a high-wire is the CAA? Seven schools are within two games of league-leading William & Mary. The Tigers trail the Tribe by one game after winning by 12 in Williamsburg, and are home this week. With slumping Charleston coming to campus Saturday, enter “Trap Game 101.” UNCW may be 2-7 in the league but has just beaten Charleston and Northeastern (two of the seven schools in The Hunt).
Saturday: Virginia Tech vs. No. 5 Florida State. The Seminoles were picked to finish fifth in the ACC, and soft seasons by North Carolina and Virginia have created a bit of a vacuum which coach Leonard Hamilton’s team has been more than happy to fill. But three straight single-digit victories may lead one to believe FSU’s run is about to end, or at least be sidetracked for a game or two. And who knows what shape they’ll be in from a tempo standpoint after facing Virginia Tuesday night.
