University of North Carolina Athletics
Know Your Opponent: Maryland
December 1, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Maryland (UMTerps.com)
Location: College Park, Md.
Rankings: No. 20 KenPom, No. 2 AP
Record: 6-0
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 122-57 (UNC 75, Maryland 63, Feb. 4, 2014, Chapel Hill)
The addition of Duke graduate transfer Rasheed Sulaimon and the successful recruitment of super-frosh Diamond Stone garnered the bulk of the offseason attention for Maryland, but it's another newcomer who is quietly having a huge early impact for the Terps. Forward Robert Carter, who spent two forgettable seasons at Georgia Tech before coming to College Park, has established himself as Mark Turgeon's top rebounder and a very competent interior scorer.
Carter's numbers epitomize what looks to be Turgeon's best team in his fifth season at Maryland. Like Carter, who has made 27 of 40 (67.5 percent) of his 2-point field goals, the Terps are lethal inside to the tune of a team 2-point percentage of 62.8 that ranks third nationally. And the 6-9 Carter is one of six contributors who stands 6-7 or taller, making Maryland one of the few teams equipped to handle Carolina's unique front line depth.
Of course Sulaimon and Stone have been worth the offseason hype, and we haven't even gotten to Maryland's best player, sophomore guard Melo Trimble. Trimble was the best freshman guard not named D'Angelo Russell a season ago, and he is leading the Terps in scoring through six games despite an ice-cold first month from deep. In 2014-15, Trimble made better than 41 percent of his 3s, so his 5 for 21 start to 2015-16 figures to be a mere bump in the road. And if he continues to be one of the best guards nationally at getting to the line, Turgeon won't be too concerned.
It certainly helps that Sulaimon has connected on half of his 3s (12 for 24) and that the entire starting five is making at least 70 percent of its free throws, led by Trimble's 77.8 percent. Senior post Jake Layman, who along with Trimble considered a jump to the NBA in the offseason, rounds out the first five, with talented sophomore wing Jared Nickens occupying the sixth man role. At 6-7 and with almost all of his shots coming from behind the arc (13 of 31 from 3), Nickens is a matchup nightmare.
Maryland passed its first test of the year with a 75-71 win over Georgetown before knocking off a pair of dangerous mid-majors in Illinois State and Rhode Island to capture the Cancun Challenge title last week. But Tuesday night's opponent represents a significant step up in competition, and it will be the Terps' first trip into a hostile environment. How Maryland handles its visit to Chapel Hill will go a long way toward solidifying its status as a legitimate national title contender.
