2016 NCAA Tournament Preview: Maryland Terrapins

The Maryland Terrapins have spent all but two weeks of the season ranked in the top 10, keeping themselves among the nation’s top teams all season long. Do they have enough to make the long tournament run we all expected from them in the preseason? Here's everything you need to know about the Terps:

Resume:
Record – 25-8 (12-6 in Big Ten)
RPI – 13
Strength of Schedule – 42

Starting Lineup:
G Melo Trimble (So.) – 14.5 ppg, 5.2 apg
G Rasheed Sulaimon (Sr.) – 11.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg
F Jake Layman (Sr.) – 11.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg
F Robert Carter Jr. (Fr.) – 12.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg
C Diamond Stone (Fr.) – 13.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg

Key Player:
Melo Trimble

Trimble is one of the best players in the entire country when he’s at his best, shown by his ability to single-handedly carry Maryland to wins over Georgetown, UConn, and Maryland, along with a 23-point, 12-assist performance at UNC. However, the Terrapins lost three games in a four-game stretch when Trimble was averaging more turnovers than assists.

He is perhaps the best pick-and-roll point guard in the country, and is excellent at creating wide open shots for his teammates when he gets to the lane - the problem is that he doesn’t always want to be aggressive. Maryland needs him to be at his best for them to make a long run in the tournament.

Biggest Strength:
Balance

Maryland is one of just a handful of teams in the country to have all five starters average double figure points, showing just how versatile they are offensively. Trimble is clearly the Terps’ go-to guy, but every single one of their starters are capable to taking over a game at a moment’s notice.

Biggest Weakness:
Inconsistency

For as good as Maryland can be, they don’t always show it. They haven’t beating a ranked team on the road this year, and also have a confusing loss to an 8-21 Minnesota squad on their resume. You never know which Maryland team you're going to get on any given day, which is a problem in tournament play.

Outlook:
In my mind, Maryland is one of two teams (Kansas) that check all the boxes of what you could want in a championship contender. Excellent guard play, deep bench, reliable big men, good perimeter shooting, and experience. Their inconsistency could put them in a few close games in the tournament, but they are 14-5 over the last two years in games decided by five points for less. They’re my pick to win the national championship, but expect them to at least make a pretty long run.

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Related Topics: College Basketball, NCAA Basketball, NCAA Tournament, Maryland Terrapins Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Melo Trimble