To paraphrase a pro wrestling legend, “If you want to be the team, you have to beat the team.” And in the Big Ten, there’s no better model for Maryland in season two under Coach Kevin Willard than Purdue.
The Boilermakers may boast the best big man in the country, but Coach Matt Painter has had this team contending for conference titles and Final Fours long before the 7-foot-4 Zach Edey arrived in West Lafayette, Indiana. This year’s team has picked up where last year’s Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament Champions left off, rolling into College Park Wednesday evening as the No. 1 team in the land.
And unlike last year’s team, which was ranked No. 3 and fell to Maryland 68-54, the 2023-24 edition began by scoring the first eight points of the night en route to a 67-53 victory where the margin was 22 in the second half before Purdue took its foot off the gas.
Edey may have scored 23 points while grabbing 12 assists, but the Boilermakers moved the ball very effectively against whatever the Terps threw at them, notching 16 assists in 25 made baskets.
“We didn’t play very well defensively, and also give them credit for the fact that offensively they really move the ball,” Willard said. “They do that well — they work through him — and when he’s passing that way, they’re going to get open shots.”
Purdue hit 9-20 shots from outside the arc against a Terrapin defense that now ranks 12th in the conference at defending the three.
Meanwhile, the offensive woes that have plagued the Terps this winter reared their ugly heads again. Forward Julian Reese averaged 15 points with six rebounds in two games against Purdue last season. This time, the junior went scoreless after missing all four of his shots while picking up four fouls, two games after missing both of his attempts while fouling out after 23 minutes against UCLA.
“They knew we’re going to try to go into him. They loaded up the paint, they made it really hard for him to get deep post touches,” Willard said. “But he’s gotta realize he’s No. 1 on the (other team’s) scouting report and he’s gotta bring it a little more than he has the last couple games.”
It’s also been well-documented that this Maryland team has had issues shooting from three-point range: As of Wednesday, the team’s 27% ranked 348th out of 361 schools. Tuesday’s game was more of the same, as the Terps made just 5-22 shots from outside the arc, and has the coach grasping for answers.
“Well, we missed seven wide-open threes in the first half. I don’t know how much more we can do when you get a wide-open shot,” Willard said. He added, tongue-in cheek: “I’ll try to put a new play in to get a wide-wide-wide-open shot. Maybe that will help.”
Disparaging defeat aside, the sky is not falling in College Park because last year’s team dropped four of their first six January Big Ten games before winning eight of its next 10. There’s something to be said about seeing the standard up-close.
“You go up against a team like this who’s playing really well, who’s by far the best team in the country,” Willard said. “It’s not even close if you look at their schedule: You look at who they’ve played, where they’ve played, it’s the best team in the country. But for them to come in here and do this to us, on our home court, that should be a little of an eye-opener for everybody.”
Starting Five
For those new this year on the Beltway Basketball Beat, we have a weekly “Starting Five”:
Up Top (Thoughts about this week’s AP Top 25 and my ballot): Purdue’s followed on my ballot this week by Kansas, Houston and UConn. The biggest variances on my ballot this week are Texas (I have the No. 20 Longhorns 7th) and Memphis (I have the No. 15 Tigers 23rd).
Toughest omissions: Creighton, Auburn and Colorado.
Small-school shout-outs: FAU, Dayton, and San Diego State (although the Owls and the Aztecs are far from small after making last year’s Final Four).
Going Inside (The Beltway to focus one of the schools that plays inside Interstate 495): Georgetown (7-7, 0-3 Big East) knew it was going to take its lumps during a season of transition, but a Hoyas’ team defense that ranks 10th in the conference in points allowed and field goal defense while standing 9th in rebounding and turnover margin is not what first-year Coach Ed Cooley was looking forward to seeing.
Asked in December how he’ll tweak things, Cooley replied: “There’s no tweaking, man. The tweak must come within the attitude. Defense is not a skill. It’s a will, a want, a determination. Effort, energy and attitude is about defense. If you want to do it, you’ll do it. And that’s what we’ve got to try to drive out of our guys, you know?”
Tuesday’s 77-60 loss to Creighton saw the Bluejays hit 56% of their shots and dominate the glass by 21 rebounds. The Hoyas have two more games on their homestand with last place DePaul dropping by the District on Saturday.
On the Perimeter (What’s happening in the Commonwealth? Annapolis?): No. 19 James Madison (13-0, 1-0 Sun Belt) is one of three remaining unbeaten teams in Division I (No. 3 Houston and No. 22 Ole Miss are the others) and the Dukes have more than lived up to the hype first captured when they upset then-No. 4 Michigan State in East Lansing Nov. 6. JMU’s been rolling with a sky-high offense (their 91.8 points per game is fourth-highest in Division I) behind a senior who’s played his entire career with the Dukes (guard Terrence Edwards Jr. averages 18 points with 6 rebounds and 4 assists) and a transfer on his third school (forward T.J. Bickerstaff shoots 68% while netting 16 points with 8 rebounds per game). JMU goes on the road for their next two games: at Louisiana and Southern Miss.
Who’s Open (Spotlighting a team/teams/player/matchup/oddity to keep your eye on): George Mason posted its best overall record (20-13) since joining the Atlantic 10 last season, only to see second-year Head Coach Kim English leave the Fairfax, Virginia school for Providence and the Big East.
The guy they brought in to replace him is proving to be more than just a name: Tony Skinn may have started on the 2006 Final Four team but he’s got the Patriots off to a 12-2 start after Wednesday’s 77-62 win at La Salle tipped off the team’s conference season.
And making one strong first impression in his Atlantic 10 debut is Keyshawn Hall: The UNLV transfer’s 27 points and 13 rebounds against the Explorers led the Patriots in both categories and the 6-foot-7 forward’s 9.8 rebounds per game lead the A-10. Mason has a chance to heat up in January with four of their next six games at home in Eagle Bank Arena (in front of Doc Nix and the Green Machine pep band).
Last Shot (Game to watch — even if I can’t make it courtside on WTOP): Virginia (11-3, 2-1 ACC) might at first glance resemble their stock NCAA Tournament team/ACC contender as the Cavaliers lead the ACC in scoring defense, but they’re also second to last in the conference in scoring, last in rebounding margin and have dropped three games by 20+ points.
And while Wisconsin and Memphis may be Top 25 teams, nobody is confusing 6-8 Notre Dame for a contender at this time. Saturday at 2 p.m. the Cavaliers visit NC State, a team that’s 10-3 (2-0 in the ACC) with all three losses coming to teams in this week’s Top 25, and are coming off a win at the Fighting Irish.
The Wolfpack are led by a pair of DJ’s: Horne averages 15 points with three rebounds per game while Burns nets 13 with five boards a contest. Can Reece Beekman and company continue their recent success in the series (10-3 since 2013)?
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