Dec 29, 2012; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Seth Allen (4) looks to pass the ball off against the Delaware State Hornets during the second half at Comcast Center. Mandatory Credit: Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports

Maryland took down IUPUI 81-63 on Sunday, securing their one-loss record heading into ACC play for the first time in Mark Turgeon’s short tenure. Save for the loss against Kentucky, the Terrapins have been blowing out every opponent they’ve faced this year. Here are a few thoughts on the Terrapins victory:

1.) Sluggish starts are scary things

The Terrapins got off to yet another slow start against the Jaguars, going down by 10 points just before the midway mark of the first half. It isn’t that the Terrapins were playing bad basketball, it was that they were daring the Jaguars to hit jump shots, and guess what? They did. If the Terrapins employ that strategy against sharp-shooting ACC teams, they’re going to have to overcome plenty of deficits during conference play. IUPUI couldn’t miss from anywhere, and the Terps got down early.

Then, of course, Seth Allen and Logan Aaronholt activated the three point cannon, which kept the Terps from being down by even more. Twelve points in a row from long range doesn’t happen that often, but we’ll take it. Maryland’s turnover issue reared it’s head early, but was luckily rectified by the end of the game…kind of. I just hope that slow start was because the Terps were overlooking IUPUI and ahead at Virginia Tech.

2.) I like Charles Mitchell coming off the bench more than starting

Charles Mitchell finished the game with seven points and five rebounds over 20 minutes of play, which really isn’t a bad statistical line and is right there with his season averages. Unfortunately, it felt like he looked a little out of place at times with the offense, and his skills were being underutilized. He doesn’t run the floor incredibly well, and with Dez Wells, Pe’Shon and Nick Faust constantly pushing the pace, Mitchell looked a step behind.

Yes, he has performed very well lately, but I don’t think he is as good a fit with the tentative starting rotation as James Padgett. Padgett isn’t as aggressive as Mitchell when it comes to rebounding, but he is quicker, and does not often lag behind the play like Mitchell does. I think the Terrapins would be better served using a second lineup that includes Cleare, Mitchell, and Allen rather than starting Mitchell and letting Padgett play with the second unit.

3.) Pe’Shon Howard and Seth Allen will be battling for top PG duties all year

The problem of deciding which of your two point guards will start because of how well they have played is what can only be termed as a “good problem.” That’s the issue the Terrapins have, as I’m almost certain that Mark Turgeon has been impressed with how much Seth Allen has balled out. He was probably equally as impressed with Allen when he entered the game with the Terps down and proceeded to drain back-to-back three pointers to put the Terps on the right path.

Meanwhile, Pe’Shon has done nothing but become one of the most efficient passers that Maryland has seen since Steve Blake. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but he really does take care of the ball pretty well for a point guard with little to offer offensively. His management of the game is fantastic, and combined with Allen’s offensive aggressiveness the Terps are set at the point guard positions.

Whoever starts and whoever comes off the bench this season is probably going to be decided on a game-by-game basis, and the Terrapins will still be great at moving the ball either way.

Dec 29, 2012; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins forward Charles Mitchell (0) pushes himself off of Delaware State Hornets guard Jordan Lawson (30) towards the ball during the second half at Comcast Center. Mandatory Credit: Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports

The Teams: Maryland Terrapins (11-1) vs IUPUI Jaguars (6-11)

The Time: 3:00 PM ET

The Location: Comcast Center, College Park, Maryland

TV/Radio: ESPN3, 105.7 FM

The Backstory: The Maryland Terrapins have taken care of business in every game but one this season in hopes of heading into ACC play with as good a record as possible. After trouncing Delaware State on the 29th 79-50 thank to Charles Mitchell’s career game, the Terrapins only have one game left until their conference opening matchup against Virginia Tech. But before that, they have to beat IUPUI.

The Jaguars are coming into this game struggling this season at 6-11. They haven’t made the tournament since 2003, and this year is unlikely to be any different, as their team simply can’t put complete games together. The Jaguars rely on two players to do the brunt of their scoring, senior guard John Hart (14.7 PPG) and junior center Mitchell Patton (13.7 PPG). The two of them are the only players scoring in double figures this year, and respectively they give IUPUI and inside-outside game.

Hart is an occasional deep threat, as he is hitting 39% of his three pointers on the season, while Patton is a very efficient scorer who is managing to shoot almost 60% from the floor over 17 games. Unfortunately, that’s about all they do very well as Patton is not a very good rebounder and Hart is only a scorer. Hart, in particular, turns the ball over at an alarming rate (he averages 3 turnovers a game). Most recently, he had eight turnovers in a big loss against Oakland.

Outside of those two, there isn’t much to like about this squad. There’s always 6’7 forward Donovan Gibbs, who has at times this season proven to be a solid scorer and an offensive threat, but if he doesn’t have it going things could get ugly pretty quickly.

Keys to the game:

1.) Force lots of turnovers

If the Terrapins want to turn this into an ugly game really early, they should try to get their hands on as many balls and into as many passing lanes as humanly possible, because this team is careless with the ball. We’re talking even more careless than the Terrapins are. They average 14 turnovers a game, and against some of the better teams they’ve played it has been an absolute massacre thanks to their butter fingers.

If the Terrapins can force turnovers by utilizing a full-court press early and getting the Jaguars guards to make mistakes, then the Terps could be smooth sailing before the midway mark of this game.

2.) A hot start

If there’s one thing the Terrapins haven’t done incredibly well this year, it’s get off to a hot start. If they can do that, then it means more rest for them before their first ACC game, because some sharp shooting and smart play will be enough to man handle this team. That means Alex Len should get the ball early, Dez Wells should slash and facilitate, and perhaps a few three point shots going in right off the bat. Doing that will ensure a Terrapins victory and a 12-1 record before Virginia Tech.

Prediction: The Maryland Terrapins win this one by 25 as they hold the IUPUI Jaguars to a terrible game offensively. The Terps start the New Year off right with a big W and momentum heading into ACC play.