Big Ten Daily (Nov. 13): Maryland's 3-Point Woes Result in Back-to-Back Losses
If Maryland's first week on the hardwood could be summed up with a single word, or number, it might be "three." The Terrapins' trip to North Carolina for the Asheville Championship resulted in a disappointing finish, dropping games to Davidson (64-61) and UAB (66-63). Kevin Willard's squad now sits 1-2 on the season.
That's right, the team picked to finish third in the Big Ten preseason poll lost both games by three points. Maryland's three-point shooting is a big concern. Just three games into the year, it feels like things could turn sour quickly. Sensing the theme?
Maryland's 3-point shooting has been horrendous through the first three games of the season. The Terps are shooting just 22.6% from behind the arc, making just 14-of-62 attempts. Jahmir Young and Donta Scott are the only players connecting at a clip above 30%. Not to overstate the obvious, but that's simply not good enough.
In the two games in Asheville, Maryland hit just five of its 23 attempts against Davidson to open the tournament. In the third-place game against UAB, the Terps made six out of its 23 shots from deep. As a result, Willard's team returns to College Park with a 1-2 record.
Three games is too soon to write a team off. Sometimes, it takes time for shooters to find a rhythm. The beauty of college basketball? Three games does not make or break a season, especially early in the year. But if the Terrapins want to be a top-three squad in the Big Ten, its 3-point shooting is going to have to see substantial improvement.
Terrapins, Hoosiers Women Disappoint
Two of the Big Ten's top women's teams had rough outings on Sunday. In a pair of primetime matchups, both No. 9 Indiana and No. 14 Maryland endured disappointing outcomes.
Down in Columbia, S.C., Maryland was no match for No. 6 South Carolina, dropping an ugly 114-76 contest. The Gamecocks and Terps were tied 16-16 after the first quarter before Dawn Staley's group took a stranglehold on the game. Carolina outscored Maryland 98-60 in the final three quarters, shooting 50% from three-point range and nearly 52% for the game.
The Hoosiers fell 96-64 to No. 15 Stanford at Maples Pavilion on Sunday, an ugly outing for the reigning Big Ten regular season champions. Stanford shot a sizzling 50% from the floor and won the rebounding battle 50-27. The Cardinal kept Indiana star Mackenzie Holmes in check, scoring just eight points.
Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. 3rd in Heisman Trophy Odds
Can Marvin Harrison Jr. end the Big Ten's Heisman Trophy drought? The Ohio State receiver certainly added another quality outing to his resumé in Saturday's 38-3 drubbing of Michigan State.
Harrison hauled in seven catches for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the victory. It was his seventh 100-yard performance of the year. He's now caught 59 passes for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Buckeyes (10-0).
After Saturday's game, quarterback Kyle McCord gave his endorsement for Harrison to win the prestigious award.
“He does so much for the offense," McCord said, per Buckeyes Now. "I think I said this about a month ago, if it’s truly the award that goes to the best player, he has to be right there in contention."
Per FanDuel, Harrison now sits with the third-best odds to win the Heisman (plus-480). He's behind Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (plus-110) and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. (plus-280).
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