COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Looking to rebound from a tough road loss against then-No. 25 Ohio State, No. 9 Maryland (22-5, 12-4 Big Ten) heads to Minnesota (13-13, 7-9) Feb. 26 for a second straight away game while still holding a two-game lead atop the Big Ten standings.
Terps’ head coach Mark Turgeon likes the resilience he has seen from his team Sunday’s seven-point loss to the Buckeyes and believes his squad will be ready for Wednesday night’s matchup with the Golden Gophers.
“We battled Sunday. It’s not like we laid an egg,” Turgeon said. “Ohio State played great and we battled. We know this one is going to be just as hard and Minnesota needs it and all. But our guys have responded well.”
Sophomore wing Aaron Wiggins, who’s coming off of a career-high 20 points and six three-pointers against Ohio State, agreed with his coach and has been pleased with the practices the Terps have had over the past two days.
“We had a really good day [Monday] and [Tuesday] we had a really tough practice,” Wiggins said. “We don’t get too high or too low coming off a loss. We’re just ready to bounce back [Wednesday]. We’re locked into our game plan. We had a good practice [Tuesday] and guarded well and competed so I think we’re ready to go.”
Terps’ senior point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. echoed Wiggins’ sentiment at practice on Tuesday and said he and his teammates “came out to practice with a lot of intensity...ready to work, ready to compete.”
Cowan was disqualified after fouling out late in the game against the Buckeyes. But the Terps’ leader isn’t focusing on the past, he’s making sure he and his teammates are locked into their next opponent.
“We have to focus on this Minnesota game,” Cowan said. “They’re a really good team that’s playing well. They came up with a big win at Northwestern and they play really well in their building. So we just have to be ready to work.”
Cowan is expected to make his program record-breaking 127th consecutive start Wednesday night against Minnesota. Maryland’s “Ironman” has started every game of his career and is currently tied with Keith Booth (1993-97) for the most consecutive starts.
“It’s huge to be in the same sentence as someone like Keith Booth,” Cowan said. “It’s huge. And just to have the opportunity because coach gave me the chance to play so early and start so many games, it’s definitely a blessing.”
With Cowan struggling with his shot throughout the game and on the bench for the last four minutes of Sunday’s loss to Ohio State, the Terps turned to sophomores Eric Ayala and Wiggins to pick up the offense.
Having Wiggins and Ayala combine for 36 points kept Maryland in the game and Turgeon knows the Terps are a different team when they are shooting the ball well.
“I was happy for Wiggins,” Turgeon said. “He made six (three-pointers). He made some big shots, made some tough shots. We need him to be aggressive. We need him to be confident. So it was good. Ayala is starting to play and that takes pressure off of [Cowan] and [Jalen “Stix” Smith]. Minnesota is probably sitting there saying, ‘Wow, that’s a lot more to guard, a lot more to prepare for.’ So that’s good. And then Donta (Scott) is making some threes and playing well. So it just makes us a better team and much harder to guard.”
And while Maryland’s offense seemingly looks better each and every game over the past month, Turgeon won’t let the Terps forget that their calling card is defense.
Maryland allowed Ohio State to score the most points any Terps’ opponent has so far this year, hitting 10 shots from beyond the arc in the process. The Buckeyes also outrebounded the Terps 36-27. Defense and rebounding is where Turgeon would like to see his team improve most against Minnesota on Wednesday.
“Our identity is defense,” Turgeon said. “We gave up 79 points to Ohio State — now they made a lot of shots but we can’t be any good if we’re going to give up 79 points. So we have to rely on our defense a little bit more and rebound better. And I think our offense just continues to get better as the year goes on.”
The Terps are going to need sound defense and rebounding to stop the Golden Gophers’ trio of standout sophomores — center Daniel Oturu as well as guards Marcus Carr and Gabe Kalscheur.
Oturu, in particular, is a force to be reckoned with. Leading Minnesota with 19.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. The Woodbury, Minnesota, native is shooting up NBA draft boards this season and is set for a compelling matchup in the low post with Maryland’s dominant forward Jalen “Stix” Smith.
“[Oturu] is a warrior,” Turgeon said. “His length, his size — he’s got a great face-up game. He hit three threes against Northwestern. He’s aggressive in the low post. He’s a good passer, perfect rebounder. I think he’s being mentioned in the lottery or almost the lottery in the NBA. Our league — every team has really, really good players, and so do we, but every night is a challenge for our guys.”
Coming off of a tough game against Ohio State’s leading scorer and rebounder Kaleb Wesson, Smith is prepared to face another talented big and has become accustomed to a high level of competition in every conference game.
“I know [Oturu] is a great low post player,” Smith said. “He’s a great offensive rebounder, great defensive rebounder. We’re just making sure we stick to the scouting report and guard him as tough as we can. I know in the Big Ten every game is going to be a big game for me in the low post. So I just go in treating it like every other game.”
Maryland’s guards will also have to bring their A-game defensively on Sunday night in Minneapolis. A transfer from Pitt, Carr averages 15.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while leading Minnesota in assists with 6.7 per contest — good for second in the Big Ten. Kalscheur is also a threat on both ends of the floor, netting 11.5 points and swiping 1.1 steals per game.
Tip-off between Maryland and Minnesota at Williams Arena is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on the Maryland Sports Radio Network and televised on the Big Ten Network.
