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Maryland Basketball: Terps Roll in Exhibition

By Wesley Brown

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 16: Maryland Terrapins cheerleaders perform during the game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Maryland Terrapins in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 16, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 16: Maryland Terrapins cheerleaders perform during the game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Maryland Terrapins in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 16, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Mark Turgeon and his squad had their tune up game against Randolph-Macon, and here is what we learned.

This was Maryland’s second exhibition, after their secret scrimmage against Wake Forest. And with Randolph-Macon being division three, there is only so much we can really learn.

The Starting Five

Turgeon went with a rather tall lineup, as Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter, Justin Jackson, Ivan Bender and Michal Cekovsky took the floor for the tip. The Terrapins were missing Dion Wiley, who twisted his ankle in practice, but should be alright for the season opener at Stony Brook next Friday.

This kid can play

Darryl Morsell was probably the biggest shock on the court for Maryland. The true freshman, in his first action for fans, finished with 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists.

He drove to the hoop with authority, showed off his ball-handling skills, and even had a 360 degree dunk in the open floor. One thing Maryland has been questioned about is how they could replace Melo Trimble’s production, and Morsell off the bench could be a big factor for that.

Maryland can be a deep team with everyone healthy

Health has always been a huge question mark in recent years for Maryland Basketball. This year in particular, their ability to grind through the Big Ten will be dependent on how healthy they can remain.

The Terrapins finished with four players in double figures, led by Cowan who scored 17 points in just 21 minutes on the floor. In the paint, Ivan Bender, Cekovsky, and Sean Obi combined for 20 points, which shows that their rotation won’t drop off based on who starts and comes off the bench.

This is not a final product

This game was merely an exhibition, and Turgeon spoke after the game about that fact. He said “We’re doing some things differently offensively than we’ve done in the past and it’s taken us some time to get used to it, but I thought as the game went on, we got better.”

Getting a little deeper into specifics, Turgeon has said he plans on using Justin Jackson at the 2, 3 and 4 spots at different times this year. His versatility, along with players like Huerter, Morsell, Nickens, and Wiley will allow Turgeon to experiment with different sets throughout the season.

If you didn’t catch the game, or have no access to BTN Plus, you can see some highlights here: