Maryland vs. Florida State: By The Numbers
Jan 26, 2013; Durham, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Shaquille Cleare (44) shoots against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
The Terps travel to Florida State University tonight to take on the same Seminoles squad that was able to steal a game in College Park earlier this month. In that game Maryland held a lead in the second half before going on a dry spell which ended up being their downfall as Okaro White exploded for 15 straight points leading the Seminoles to a rare victory in College Park.
The road hasn’t been overly kind to Maryland so far and they face a tough test in a veteran Florida State team this evening. As we head into the game tonight I wanted to take a closer look at both teams by the numbers to see how they stack up. I will also only be looking at the teams numbers during ACC play as neither program played an overly impressive non-conference schedule.
Offensive Numbers:
Florida State
58.5 – Florida State’s total PPG average in six games, worst in the ACC.
40.1 – Florida State’s team shooting percentage, ninth in the ACC.
9.3 – Michael Snaer PPG average through six games.
43 – Snaer’s shooting percentage in league play.
12.3 Okaro White PPG average through six games.
47 – White’s shooting percentage in league play.
Maryland
64 – Most points scored by Maryland outside of the league opener against Virginia Tech.
62 – Average PPG by the Terps through seven games.
39.8 – The Terps shooting percentage as a team in league play (163/410), tenth in the ACC.
29.6 – The Terps three point percentage (37/125), last in the ACC.
44.4 – The Terps shooting percentage on two-point attempts (126/285).
105 – Number of turnovers committed by the Terrapins through seven games.
71 – Shots attempted by Alex Len through seven games.
34 – Shots made by Alex Len through seven games.
11.5 – Dez Wells PPG average.
45.3 – Dez Wells shooting percentage.
Both Maryland and Florida State’s offenses have been, for lack of a better term, ugly in the first month of conference play. Neither of the respective teams top two scorers are shooting over 50% and they are all relatively adept at getting points at the basket.
The Terps will need Wells and Len to be more effective in getting their points tonight for the Maryland offense to get clicking and that starts with the big Ukrainian on the inside.The numbers show that Maryland is simply not a good shooting team from the outside. Those statistics may still go up but it is another reminder why the Terps offense has to start on the inside and work its way to the perimeter.
Also, you can’t forget about what has been the Terrapins Achilles heel this season, particularly on the road, turnovers. If Maryland turns the ball over 15+ times tonight, as they have been averaging in league play, they will be hard pressed to fly home from Tallahassee with a victory. You cannot waste possessions with turnovers on the road in ACC play, it is simply a killer.
Defensive Numbers:
Florida State
64.8 – Points allowed on average by the Seminoles, good enough for fifth in the ACC
-6.3 – The scoring margin for the Seminoles in conference play, good enough for ninth best in the ACC.
42.6 – Shooting percentage allowed by the Seminoles over six games.
35.4 – Three Point percentage allowed through six games.
39 – Number of blocked shots for the Seminoles in league play, best in the ACC.
Maryland
63.6 – Points allowed per game by the Terps, the fourth best average in the ACC.
37.7 – The Terps field goal percentage defense, that percentage is second best in the ACC.
+4.6 – The Terps rebounding margin, they have out-rebounded the opposition by 32 which is tops in the ACC.
-5.29 – The Terps turnover margin, unlike rebounding Maryland is the worst in the league with regard to this statistic.
5.7 – Number of defensive rebounds averaged by Alex Len per game, tying him for eighth best in the ACC with Ryan Anderson and Travis McKie.
Both teams are clearly both better on the defensive side of the ball to this point in conference play than they are on the offensive end. Maryland’s bread and butter has been its ability to force the opposition into tough shots due to their size in the post and athleticism on the wing. Maryland has not been out-rebounded on the season and lead the country in rebounding averaging 43 a game.
In the first meeting with Florida State earlier this month the Terps held the Seminoles to 36.7% from the floor while out-rebounded the Noles by three, and lost 65-62. Maryland will need another stingy effort on the defensive end tonight in order to come away with a rare victory away from the Comcast Center.