EAST LANSING, MICH. — Maryland's first Big Ten season begins today at Michigan State with the Terps way ahead of schedule.
A 17-15 team a year ago with a largely different cast and chemistry, Maryland is 12-1 and ranked 12th in the country.
If the Big Ten gave out pre-conference recognition, how many Terps would receive some?
While freshman point guard Melo Trimble might not be the top newcomer in the league, at least from a statistical standpoint, he is certainly in the conversation. His importance and contribution to his team is arguably as great as any player in the league.
With 15.8 points a game, Trimble is tied for ninth in scoring, behind fellow freshmen James Blackmon Jr. of Indiana (17.9, third) and Ohio State's DeAngelo Russell (17.7, tied for fourth). Trimble is first in the league in points per shot (2.04), way ahead of both Blackmon (1.38) and Russell (1.35).
Trimble also leads the Big Ten in free throws made (85), attempted (94) and percentage (90.4) and has won at least a couple of games at the line. Perhaps the only thing preventing Trimble to being the top freshman in the league is a below average assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18).
Still, Trimble is probably at worst one of the top five freshmen in the league and among the top 10 players. Given that Maryland has won two games against quality opponents in tough road environments – something neither the Hoosiers or Buckeyes have yet to do – Trimble could be the top freshman.
Then there's Jake Layman. The junior forward has scored in double figures in all 13 games, was huge in Maryland's recent road win at Oklahoma State (21 points, 11 rebounds) and was also solid in the win over then-No. 13 Iowa State last month that lifted the Terps to the national rankings for the first time in five years.
Considering how well he has played in the absence of star guard Dez Wells, a case could be made to Layman at least being third-team all league, maybe second. Layman is the only player in the league to be in the top 10 in scoring (tied with Trimble for ninth), top 10 in field goal percentage (10th at 54.1) and top 15 in rebounding (6.2 a game).
While the Terps don't have a designated sixth man, freshman Jared Nickens could make a strong case if he continues to keep making 3-pointers. The 6-7 wing had 15 points off the bench in the Iowa State win and after starting the last three games will likely go back to his reserve role now that Wells is back.
Then there's coach of the year. If Mark Turgeon is not a runaway choice right now, considering that the Terps were picked to finish in the bottom half of the league, he is a clear favorite over Patrick Chambers, who has Penn State off to a 12-1 start but have only one win over a top 50 team (George Washington).
The interesting thing about these pre-conference season nominations is that Wells, the only Terp to receive any kind of preseason attention in the Big Ten, has barely made a dent. He started the season strong and was hurt near the start of what became one of his worst shooting nights as a college player when he was 5 of 20 against Iowa State.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes the 6-5 senior to completely recover from the fractured wrist that kept him out a month and go back to being Maryland's go-to guy. Given what Trimble, Layman and even Nickens have done so far, that might not need to happen for the Terps to continue their turnaround.
don.markus@baltsun.com
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