Takeaways from Maryland men’s basketball’s victory over Nebraska

Maryland males’s basketball improved to 14-7 total and 5-5 within the Huge Ten with an 82-63 win over Nebraska on Saturday. The Terps’ win — their first time successful back-to-back convention video games this season — was their largest margin of victory in a Huge Ten sport since they beat Rutgers by 20 factors on Feb. 28, 2017 and was additionally their largest margin of victory in a house Huge Ten sport since Dec. 27, 2016.

Listed here are just a few takeaways from Saturday’s contest.

Maryland distributed the ball nicely and compelled turnovers.

Maryland’s passing was elegant Saturday, because it reverted again to the ball motion that made it so profitable to begin the season. Maryland has usually settled for the primary respectable look it will get fairly than in search of out the most effective look it could possibly, which has led to streaky taking pictures performances.

From the leap, the Terps unfold the ball out across the perimeter and made Nebraska work on each possession. Their first 10 made subject objectives have been assisted they usually ended with 16 assists on 25 made photographs, tying their season excessive for assists in a sport.

“I’d say this was certainly one of our highlights of the 12 months,” graduate ahead Patrick Emilien stated following the sport. “Simply shifting the ball, everybody getting touches, everyone feeling like they’re contributing equally and simply understanding the place to go.”

The Terps’ selectivity allowed their shooters to get beauty from outdoors as an alternative of taking contested or rushed threes. Graduate guard Don Carey, who has struggled mightily with shot choice and shot-making all through a lot of the season, went 4-for-4 on 3-pointers, dwelling as much as his billing because the sharpshooter he has been often known as all through his six-year collegiate profession.

“Don’s a shooter, that’s what he does, he’s an excellent shooter. So he simply was simply discovering his place, hitting threes like he at all times does, and yeah, everyone had the correct strategy to at present’s sport,” Emilien added.

“I feel the largest factor is, the assists are nice however the turnovers are even greater,” Maryland head coach Kevin Willard stated. “I feel Hakim [Hart] has been, the previous few video games, has actually simply performed with a really regular tempo, discovering guys. And once more, [he] didn’t shoot the ball nice tonight however 5 assists, one turnover … the best way he’s taking part in passing the basketball has made a giant distinction.”

Maryland’s ball motion made Nebraska scramble on the defensive finish, and its strain pressured the Cornhuskers to make errors on offense, too. Nebraska turned the ball over 15 occasions — Jahmir Younger had six steals on his personal — main to twenty Maryland factors off turnovers. The Huskers solely had six such factors.

“Turnovers, what did we’ve? 15, I assume, was too many. … The turnovers is what did us in,” Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg stated. “And provides them credit score.”

Patrick Emilien was dynamic.

Maybe an important participant on the courtroom for Maryland was Patrick Emilien. He completed with 10 factors, a team-high seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 25 minutes — his taking part in time prolonged on account of a mix of his effectiveness and sophomore ahead Julian Reese’s foul hassle.

Trying past the statistics, Emilien brings an intangible facet to the sport that may make up for his 6-foot-7 construct that always places him at a dimension drawback in opposition to the big-man-loaded Huge Ten. He’s at all times scrapping for rebounds, avoiding turnovers and capable of transfer from place to place seamlessly no matter who he’s on the courtroom with.

“I’m a veteran, I’m a senior participant, and I actually couldn’t care much less [about statistics] so long as we get the win,” Emilien stated. “So I feel we’ve been choosing it up lately, and if it’s zero factors or 10 factors I’ll be equally as pleased if we’re again within the locker room with a win.”

Emilien was unproven on the high-major stage when he first arrived at Maryland, however has greater than held his personal with the Terps. Willard has repeatedly praised Emilien’s significance to the crew over the course of the season, and people statements seemed as true as ever Saturday.

“The truth that I really feel very snug with the ability to transfer him from energy ahead to middle, middle to energy ahead, and he’s in a position to try this. From a play name standpoint, from a defensive standpoint, from a zone standpoint, that’s very worthwhile,” Willard stated.

Maryland’s string of residence video games goes swimmingly.

For all the problems Maryland has had away from XFINITY Middle, there’s no denying that it has been taking part in incredible at residence this season. On condition that, the Terps had no selection however to get outcomes when 4 of their 5 ultimate video games in January have been to be performed in School Park.

Maryland has greater than delivered in that stretch thus far, knocking off Michigan — a crew that beat it by 35 factors earlier within the month — and following that up with two of its most full performances in wins over Wisconsin and Nebraska. Even when Maryland falls to a surging Indiana squad on Tuesday — a sport that ESPN’s Basketball Energy Index offers Maryland a 54.2% likelihood of successful — it might have gone 3-1 in these 4 residence video games, greater than sufficient to maintain its NCAA Match outlook optimistic, particularly with a first-rate likelihood to get its first highway win on the horizon with a visit to face Minnesota (the final place crew within the Huge Ten) subsequent on the docket.

“The final two video games we have been at residence, so we realized that we obtained a powerful home-court benefit to capitalize off of that, however actually simply taking this momentum and taking it on the highway when that point comes,” Carey stated. “I feel that’s a giant step that we’ve obtained to take and be highway warriors and determine find out how to win on the highway in powerful environments.”

The Terps are 5-0 at residence in Huge Ten play and 11-1 total at XFINITY Middle. Whereas it’s unlikely that Maryland will run the desk in its 5 remaining residence video games and it’ll want to select up highway wins finally, there’s little doubt that it performs greatest on its residence hardwood.