COLUMBUS, Ohio - Approximately 17 hours following its second round win against Valparaiso in the NCAA Tournament on Friday night, the Maryland men's basketball team returned to Nationwide Arena for media availability and a short practice Saturday.
Head coach Mark Turgeon – who pushed his record to 6-5 in the Big Dance with the 65-62 win against the Crusaders – joined senior Dez Wells and freshman Melo Trimble on the dais to speak with the nearly 50 media members in attendance. Wells led Maryland in scoring with 14 points, his 14th straight double-figure scoring performance, while Trimble posted his second career double-double.
“I have good seniors, good leadership. Dez Wells' leadership has been terrific,” Turgeon said. “We have a good group. We have guys who respect each other on the floor and our pieces fit. It's been a real fun team and I knew back in June when we started practicing that we were going to be pretty good.”
Senior Varun Ram was a media hit in the team's open locker room session after notching a strip at the end of the Friday's game to secure the victory.
The Terps then shifted their attention back to the court and their matchup with No. 5 seed West Virginia in an afternoon practice at Nationwide. Maryland is seeking its first trip to the Sweet Sixteen since 2003.
“West Virginia has always played with toughness since Bob Huggins has been there,” Turgeon said. “All of his teams have played that way. There are a lot of areas where you need to be strong in double-teams against pressure. When the ball is on the glass, that's when they are at their best.”
Maryland faces the Mountaineers at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Sunday on TNT.
