Last night Maryland played a very good game against Penn State. It shut down the Nittany Lions and were able to score enough points to earn a comfortable victory. If you just look at the score, you might think that Maryland did everything right. But that isn't necessarily the case.
Jordan Williams is far and away the best player on Maryland. There isn't anybody else who is really close to him, at least on the offensive side of the floor. Last night against Penn State he put up 15 points and 11 rebounds but only took 10 shots. It was enough to earn them a victory, but in the future, especially when the Terps get into the tough ACC regular season schedule, that just isn't going to get it done.
Over the course of the season Williams is shooting 57% from the floor, but is only taking just over 11 shots a game. Averaging 17 ppg on that few amount of shots is incredibly efficient.That's the kind of efficient offense that the Terps game should be built around. When everything slows down, just toss it in to the big man and let him go to work.
There are a few potential culprits here. The bulk of the blame has to lie with Gary Williams who should be telling his point guards to look for Williams as their first, second and third options. Secondly are the point guards themselves, who should recognize that getting it to Williams is the smartest play they can make. And some of it even lies with Williams himself, who should be more assertive in demanding the ball down on the low block.
Whatever the reason, the Terps need to make sure that they get the ball to their best offensive player who also happens to be incredibly efficient. It's a good blueprint for a victory and it's a pretty easy one to identify. If they want to have a successful ACC season, it starts with getting the ball to Williams.
Today's must-reads from around the SB Nation network:
- Hogs Haven and SB Nation's Giants blog Big Blue View preview this weekend's game.
- Testudo Times with a full recap of last night's impressive win.
- Federal Baseball recaps a radio interview done by Nats Asst. GM and VP of Player Development Bob Boone.