Nuggets

*Splitting a road trip isn't bad, especially after getting a hard fought win at Michigan State to open conference play.  The performance against Illinois was poor, but the Terps have two of only nine road wins through the first two weeks of league play. Not shabby.

*Evan Smotrycz leads the Terps in defensive rebounding with a 20.0 DR%.  That's one reason that some of the criticism of his game this year has been harsh.  He needs to hit open shots in his stretch four role, but he's contributing.  Mark Turgeon also made a point to praise his defense after the Purdue game.  At the very least, he's able to play defense without fouling, unlike his counterparts.

*Jared Nickens' one-dimensional scoring game has been even more pronounced in league games.  He's taken 14 threes against just one shot inside the arc.

*Damonte Dodd's top kenpom comparable for this season is Jeff Withey.  He's a guy who established himself as a premier shotblocker who began to gain national notoriety as he expanded his offensive game.  One area where Withey improved that Dodd needs big help is avoiding and drawing fouls:



As useful as Dodd has been (big shoutout for 16 assists already), he can't help the team if he can't stay on the court.

*Melo Trimble's ability to get to the foul line hasn't abated since the beginning of league play.  He's made 8 FT per game in four league games compared to 6.5 over the non-conference schedule, continuing to display the ability to draw fouls seemingly at will during crucial moments.  Trimble moved into second place on the all-time Maryland freshman list, and it's only a matter of when he will pass Joe Smith as the most prolific rookie free throw shooter in program history.