Terps not taking Rutgers lightly

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Since both joining the Big Ten in the same year, No. 22 Maryland (17-2) is 3-0 against Rutgers (12-8) with an average margin of victory of more than 14 points per game. But in order to keep that trend rolling when the Terps and Scarlet Knights square off at Xfinity Center Jan. 24, head coach Mark Turgeon and his team might have to do so without their top scorer and leader, Melo Trimble.

TERPS INSIDER message board | SHOP NOW: DEALS on TERPS apparel | LIKE us on FACEBOOK

“Melo [Trimble] is sick today,” Turgeon told reporters Jan. 23. “He did not practice today. Hopefully he’ll get better and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”

So far in his college career, Trimble, who’s averaging 17.4 points per game this season, has had modest outputs--at least by Melo Trimble standards--against Rutgers with just 11, 10 and 4 points, respectively.

But in the Terps’ road win last Thursday at Iowa, in which Maryland had to hold off a late rally by the Hawkeyes, Trimble proved once again just how valuable of a player he is and why his team is 71-18 since his arrival in College Park by scoring a game-high 20 points and icing the game down the stretch with big shots and free throws.

More from TSR: WATCH TURGEON PREVIEW RUTGERS

However, whether Trimble suits up on Tuesday night or not, Turgeon knows the Terps are in for a battle against a Scarlet Knights team that is on an upswing and plays a physical style that has caused Maryland problems at times this season.

“They’re a whole different team,” Turgeon said. “Last year, we didn’t play Melo [Trimble] much and we tried to keep the score down. This year, they’re a basketball team. They’ve won 12 games. That’s a lot of games. They’re 12-8, they’re four games over .500 and they’re probably still thinking about the NCAA Tournament. So they have our attention. They’re a good team and they do something that we don’t do well. They rebound the ball. So we have to be a much more physical team [Tuesday] night.”

The physical presence that Turgeon is looking for will likely have to come from Maryland’s frontcourt, which starts each game with senior center Damonte Dodd and reigning Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week, Justin Jackson, down in the post.

While Turgeon was not happy with the fact that the Hawkeyes dominated the Terps on the offensive boards, 20-6, in their last outing, he was pleased with the overall effort he saw on both ends of the floor from his bigs, particularly Jackson, who recorded the most steals in a game for the Terps since D.J. Strawberry against Notre Dame in 2006.

“Justin’s a good player,” Turgeon said of Jackson. “He’s done it all year. He wasn’t scoring in a couple of games for us but I just thought defensively, even at Illinois, he was terrific defensively. And then against Iowa with the six steals. He rebounded well and made a big-time shot when the shot clock was winding down, so he did a lot of great things. We kind of expect that out of him, but he played until exhaustion. He was done. We had to give him a little break late in the game. So all of that was good to see.”

Turgeon has also been impressed with the contributions of Dodd and sophomore forward Ivan Bender, who have had to step up as Maryland’s rim protectors with fellow 7-footer Michal Cekovsky still on the mend with a foot injury.

“We expect Damonte to be great defensively,” Turgeon said. “He has to be because he’s our length right now. I also thought Ivan Bender was terrific defensively [against Iowa]. That’s the best he’s played for a full game in a while. So I’m really happy with both of our big guys.”

The Terps are riding a four-game winning streak since their loss at home to Nebraska on New Year’s Day. Although the Scarlet Knights did just pick up their first conference win of the season in their last game, it happened to be against that same Cornhuskers squad that erased a double-digit deficit in the second half to beat Maryland, 67-65.

Thanks to a game-high 25 points from sophomore guard Corey Sanders, Rutgers edged Nebraska 65-64 in Piscataway, N.J., Jan. 21.

“I think we’ve learned a lot from the Nebraska game,” Turgeon said. “Nebraska came in here and beat us, I mean, they were pretty good that day. So we have a ton of respect for Rutgers and what they’re doing. They beat Nebraska, we didn’t. They have a player that’s as good as anybody in our league, in [Corey] Sanders, that can take over a game. We’ve prepared hard; we’ve had a great week of practice, so hopefully we’ll play well [Tuesday] night.”

Tipoff in College Park between the Terps and Scarlet Knights is set for 7 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.