#19 Terps Meet NC Central Wednesday at XFINITY
12/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 19 Maryland men's basketball team will face NC Central at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the XFINITY Center. The game will be shown live on the Big Ten Network.
WATCH: BTN - Tom Werme (Play-by-Play), Dan Bonner (Analyst)
LISTEN: Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Johnny Holliday (Play-by-Play), Chris Knoche (Analyst), Walt Williams (Sideline); Sirius 108/XM 192, ESPN 980, 105.7 FM.
STATS: Live Stats
TICKETS: To purchase tickets, please click here.
SOCIAL: Follow @TerrapinHoops on Twitter for updates
storylines
• Jake Layman scored a season-high 21 points, freshman Melo Trimble and Richaud Pack had 16 apiece and the Terrapins pulled away to an 82-62 victory over Winthrop on Saturday. Jared Nickens added 12 points for the Terrapins, who were coming off a home defeat to No. 7 Virginia on Wednesday. Sophomore Damonte Dodd finished with a career-high nine points and 10 rebounds.
• Maryland has been solid all season at the charity stripe, ranking third nationally and first in the Big Ten in free throws made (179). The Terps are also eighth in the country in free throw attempts (242). Freshman Melo Trimble is second in the nation in free throws made (62) and fourth in attempts (70). Jake Layman is 17th in the country, posting 45 made free throws.
• In Dez Wells' absence, Jake Layman has asserted himself on the offensive end. The junior forward has averaged (17.0), rebounds (6.0), field goals (4.3), field goal attempts (10.3), free throws (7.5), free throw attempts (9.8) and minutes (32.3) during the past four games (Monmouth, VMI, Virginia and Winthrop).
• NC Central (6-3) defeated Howard, 61-39, to win the Big Apple Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday its last time out. The Eagles are 10th in the country in scoring defense (53.4) and boast three players who average double-digit points including Anthony McDonald (14.6), Jordan Parks (14.1) and Dante Holmes (11.9). McDonald posted a game-high 21 points in NCCU's win over Howard.
No. 21 Terps Topple Winthrop Saturday
• Jake Layman scored a season-high 21 points, freshman Melo Trimble and Richaud Pack had 16 apiece and the Terrapins pulled away to an 82-62 victory over Winthrop on Saturday.
• Jared Nickens added 12 points for the Terrapins (8-1), who were coming off a home defeat to No. 7 Virginia on Wednesday. Damonte Dodd finished with a career-high nine points and 10 rebounds.
• Maryland took 19 more free throws than Winthrop. Layman was 4-for-11 from the floor but hit 11-of-14 foul shots and also grabbed six rebounds.
trimble named co-player, freshman of the week
• Freshman guard Melo Trimble earned Co-Big Ten Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors, the Big Ten Conference announced on Dec. 1.
• Trimble, who averaged 21.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, led Maryland to a 4-0 week with wins over Arizona State and No. 13 Iowa State at the CBE Classic and home victories over Monmouth and VMI.
• Trimble scored a career-high 31 points, including four three-pointers and a 13-of-14 effort from the free throw line in Maryland's victory over Arizona State.
• It was the first time a freshman has been named Big Ten Player of the Week since Jared Sullinger (Ohio State) won the award Jan. 24, 2011.
Feelin' It at the Free Throw Line
• Maryland has been solid all season at the charity stripe, ranking third nationally and first in the Big Ten in free throws made (179).
• The Terps are also eighth in the country in free throw attempts (242).
• Freshman Melo Trimble is second in the nation in free throws made (62) and fourth in attempts (70). Jake Layman is 17th in the country, posting 45 made free throws.
• Trimble - who is currently fifth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.886) - went 13-for-14 from the charity stripe in wins vs. Arizona State (11/24) and Monmouth (11/28).
Scouting NC CENTRAL
• NC Central (6-3, 2-0 MEAC) defeated Howard, 61-39, to win the Big Apple Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday its last time out.
• The Eagles are 10th in the country in scoring defense (53.4) and boast three players averaging double-digit points including Anthony McDonald (14.6), Jordan Parks (14.1) and Dante Holmes (11.9). McDonald posted a game-high 21 points in NCCU's win over Howard.
• Maryland is 1-0 all-time against NC Central with the lone victory coming last season on New Year's Eve when the Terps out-rebounded the Eagles by 15 in a 70-56 win in College Park.
trimble turning heads
• Freshman Melo Trimble is averaging 16.4 points per game for the Terps this season.
• Trimble is ranked fourth in the Big Ten in total points (148) and is one of only two freshmen ranked in the top 50 nationally, joining Indiana's James Blackmon, Jr.
• Trimble's 31-point showing against Arizona State is the most for a Maryland freshman since Joe Smith posted 33 points against Rider in 1993.
Block Party
• Maryland is third in the Big Ten in blocked shots per game (5.2), led by sophomore Damonte Dodd, who ranks fourth in the league, averaging two per game in 2014-15.
• The Terps are 19th nationally in total blocks (47). Dodd (18) and freshman Michal Cekovsky (13) rank in the top 100 in total blocks at 48th and 98th, respectively.
Balanced Attack
• Maryland has three players averaging double-digit scoring figures in 2014-15, including Melo Trimble (16.4), Dez Wells (16.2) and Jake Layman (15.2). Additionally, the Terps have three players posting seven or more points per game - including freshmen Dion Wiley (8.0) and Jared Nickens (7.3).
• Maryland has had five different players lead the Terps in scoring through the first nine games. No player has led the team in scoring more than three times.
Terps drop #13 Iowa State, win CBE Classic title
• Jared Nickens and Jake Layman scored 15 points apiece to lead a balanced offense, and Maryland shut down No. 13 Iowa State for a 72-63 victory Nov. 25 in the CBE Classic title game at Sprint Center.
• Dez Wells added 14 points and Melo Trimble scored 11 for the Terrapins, who built a 15-point lead with three minutes left before hanging on down the stretch.
• Trimble was voted the tournament MVP after his stellar all-around performance. He also had three assists and three rebounds in the title game.
early-season statement
• Maryland's win over No. 13 Iowa State marks its first win over a ranked non-conference opponent since 2008-09, when the Terps defeated No. 5 Michigan State, 80-62, on Nov. 27 at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla.
• Iowa State entered the contest against Maryland averaging 86 points per game and shooting 52.4 percent from the floor in its first three wins in 2014-15. The Terps, however, limited the Cyclones to just a total of 63 points - 23 points under their season average - and to 29.7 percent from the field.
On layman's terms
• Junior Jake Layman is adjusting nicely to his role as the Terp's starting power forward this season.
Layman recorded a season-high 21 points and added six rebounds against Winthrop to give the junior his ninth-consecutive, double-digit scoring performance of the 2014-15 campaign.
• The Wrentham, Mass., native is averaging 15.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and is 14th in the Big Ten in shooting percentage (.532), 13th in scoring and 19th in rebounds through the first nine games.
Getting defensive
• Head coach Mark Turgeon has been emphasizing defense all year long.
• The Terps limited No. 13 Iowa State to just a total of 63 points - 23 points under their season average - and to 29.7 percent from the field on Nov. 25.
• Maryland is third in the Big Ten in field goal pct. defense (.369).
Season Preview: Terps Think B1G in 2014-15
• With a top-10 recruiting class and his most experienced team in four years as head coach at Maryland, Mark Turgeon has the Terrapins poised for its inaugural season in the Big Ten Conference.
• Maryland, which finished 17-15 last season, boasts a balanced team featuring a mix of veteran leadership and key newcomers. Among the leaders is 2013 ACC-All Conferece and USBWA All-District III selection Dez Wells, who changed his number to 44 to honor a deceased former teammate for his senior season. Wells is joined by seniors Evan Smotrycz and Jon Graham and sophomore Damonte Dodd in the frontcourt, in addition to junior Jake Layman on the wing.
• Turgeon also hauled in the ninth-best recruiting class in the nation according to Scout.com, showcasing McDonald's All-American point guard Melo Trimble (Upper Marlboro, Md.), shooting guard Dion Wiley (Oxon Hill, Md.), guard Jared Nickens (Monmouth Junction, N.J.) and forward Michal Cekovsky (Slovakia, Europe).
Get to Know the Big Ten Conference
- Big Ten has had seven First Team AP All-Americans over the last five years…same as ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Pac 12 COMBINED
- Big Ten has had two of the past five Wooden Award winners
- Big Ten has more NCAA Tournament appearances over last five years than any conference (31)
- Big Ten has more Sweet 16 appearances over last five years than any conference (16)…SEC is second closest with 10
- Big Ten leads all conferences with nearly 5 million alumni and more than 460,000 students.
