Maryland Basketball Is The Real Deal, Knocks Off #13 Iowa State To Win The CBE Classic
Sun – Maryland’s Mark Turgeon knows how to beat Iowa State. Turgeon improved to 6-0 all-time against the Cyclones as a head coach, guiding the Terps to a 72-63 victory over No. 13 Iowa State in the championship game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic on Tuesday night at Sprint Center. Maryland is off to a 5-0 start for the first time in eight seasons. “We were meeting as a staff last night, and we couldn’t figure out what to do,” Turgeon said after the game. “They were saying, ‘We can’t do this,’ and ‘We can’t do that.’ “I said, ‘Should we just forfeit?’ Finally I said, ‘Everybody get out of my room and let me watch some film. We’ll figure it out.'” Apparently they did. Forward Jake Layman and guard Jared Nickens each scored 15 points for the Terps. Guard Dez Wells had 14 points, and guard Melo Trimble added 11. “I thought Jared Nickens changed the game when he came in and whapped that [3-pointer],” Turgeon said. “He really got them spaced out.” Nickens, a freshman, was not bashful. He finished 6-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-7 from 3-point range. “My teammates have confidence in me,” he said. “Dez always tells me when I come in to do what I do, and that’s to shoot. I just wanted to come in and have an impact in the game.” The Terps led throughout the second half and sent home an unhappy partisan crowd three hours from the Iowa State campus.
Maryland has had really good, sometimes even great recruiting classes going back to 2002 when they won the national championship. And every year has ended in disappointment. So after a bunch of transfers after last season, I did not know what to expect coming into this season. I liked the team, but they are young and inexperienced. After the first 5 games, it doesn’t look like that matters.
On Monday, Maryland knocked off Arizona State when freshman Melo Trimble dropped 31 in their faces. This kid can flat out ball. It’s a ridiculous feeling to have a McDonald’s All-American who looks head and shoulders above the other players on the court. The other freshmen I love right now are 7 footer Michal Cekovsky and 3-point shooter Jared Nickens. Cekovsky is just another huge Euro to stumble into College Park. Weird how that happens. The big white 7 footers just gravitate towards Maryland. And Nickens was the forgotten freshman in the bunch, and he can shoot the lights out. I can’t remember the last time Maryland had so many people who were pure scorers. Adding in Dez Wells and Jake Layman who has a newfound love for dunking, and this team is silly fun to watch.
With Maryland football about to move to 8-4 (unless they somehow lose at home to Rutgers) and Maryland basketball knocking off the 13th ranked team in the nation, it’s a good time to be a Terp. Be afraid, Big 10. Be very afraid. #DirtyTerps