If were home without access to ESPNU this winter break, you probably missed the Terrapin men’s basketball team. Don’t worry, we have you covered with a list of the most important events from the layoff.
The return of Alex Len and Pe’Shon Howard
Much to the pleasure of coach Mark Turgeon, the Terps welcomed back their starting point guard and center and finally pushed their healthy scholarship count to a reasonable amount (9). Howard, a sophomore out of Los Angeles, played his first game of the season against Radford on Dec. 23, while Len, a redshirt freshman from Ukraine, returned from his 10-game suspension against Albany on Dec. 28.
Their returns have had mixed results.
First with Len. The center has played at least 18 minutes every game aside from Saturday’s loss vs. Temple (when he sprained his ankle). He scored in double figures in each of his first four games (14, 13, 15, 12) and put up equally impressive rebounding numbers (8, 7, 9, 11). His double-double at N.C. State to open ACC play earned him conference rookie of the week honors. But since then, the 7-foot-1 center has been a mystery. In the last four games his points (5, 0, 3, 0) and rebounds (2, 9, 2, 0) have taken a drastic drop. He’s found himself in foul trouble and hasn’t established himself offensively.
Howard has yet to breakout of his funk, but his game Saturday may point in that direction. The guard broke a bone in his foot during preseason, which meant he couldn’t practice at all with the team (something Len could still do). The point has been anything but steady. He’s scored in double figures twice (Albany and Temple) and had two eight-assist games (Albany and N.C. State). But recently Howard has struggled with turnovers and his shot. He’s had at least three turnovers in eight of his nine games and has hit two of his past 16 3-point shots.
If the Terps expect to make any noise in the ACC the rest of the way, Howard and Len’s production is crucial.
Road Woes
The Terps have yet to win a true road game this season, with losses at N.C. State, Florida State and Temple in the past month. They carried a four-game road losing streak into the season from last year. For the first time Saturday, the Terps looked under control on the road. Granted there was a large Maryland fan base there as well, but they played a Temple team to the end. Their game at N.C. State was also promising, especially with Len’s production, but they faded early. At Florida State, the Terps took a second half lead only to watch it quickly fall away due to a 21-3 Seminoles run.
Secondary Scoring
Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin continues to lead the ACC in scoring — he has a 21.2 average entering tonight’s game against Duke. But aside from the sweet-shooting guard, the Terps have few consistent scoring options.
Senior guard Sean Mosley has certainly shown the ability to fill that role, dropping 19 against Cornell and 18 against Georgia Tech. That four game stretch between those two games, the senior averaged 16 points a contest. In the two games since, Mosley has scored six total points.
Forward James Padgett has also established himself as an offensive option in the post, while getting the majority of his points off offensive boards (he leads the ACC in offensive rebounding). But for as many double figure scoring games Padgett will have (10 this season), he’ll lay just as many eggs.
WINTER BREAK BREAKDOWN
W – Dec. 23 vs. Radford, 65-60
W – Dec. 28 vs. Albany, 83-72
W – Dec. 31 vs. Samford, 75-63
W – Jan. 3 vs. Cornell, 70-62
L – Jan. 8 at N.C. State, 74-79
W – Jan. 11 vs. Wake Forest, 70-64
W – Jan. 15 vs. Georgia Tech, 61-50
L – Jan. 17 at Florida State, 70-84
L – Jan. 21 at Temple (Palestra), 60-73
Chris Eckard is the Diamondback’s Terrapin men’s basketball beat reporter. Reach him at ceckard@umdbk.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ceckard.