Maryland came into the season with their solution to the lack of paint presence that bedeviled them last season.
The Terps had gotten a gift in Georgetown transfer, Qudus Wahab and had high-level freshman, Julian Reese, coming to College Park.
Despite the addition of the two big men, the Terps still struggle making an impact below the free throw line.
Michigan’s, Hunter Dickinson, was the latest Big Ten big man to feast on the Maryland defense. Dickinson had 21 points, six rebounds, and, an impressive six assists. The Terps sent double teams at Dickinson several times and the Wolverines big man made the correct decision almost every play.
With Illinois and Kofi Cockburn heading to town, the Terps will still need to find a way to control that piece of real estate on the defensive end. In their first meeting, Cockburn had 23 points and 18 rebounds in just 28 minutes of play. That’s after being in foul trouble in the first half. To put Cockburn’s performance into perspective, he scored 16 of his points and grabbed 15 of his rebounds in the second half.
Wahab has had to adjust to the size in the Big Ten. That wasn’t a night-in-night-out challenge in the Big East. At Georgetown, opponents would attack Wahab by putting him in ball screen and rolls constantly testing his foot work. In the Big Ten, Wahab might not have seen as many ball screen and rolls but what he has seen is more traditional, back to the basket post-ups and his inability to get around in proper defensive position has hurt him. In the first game against Illinois, Cockburn was consistent in locking Wahab right behind him. Both Wahab and Reese would foul out of the game.
Reese’s progression has been good for a freshman post player. On offense he’s been able to step out and operate in space. On defense, he can develop into a weak side rim protector if he puts his mind to it. Right now, his issues on defense have been largely due to youth and strength. He’s not strong enough to defend the true bigs in the Big Ten. As he puts on weight, that could certainly change. But he has good footwork for his age and as he develops and learns, that footwork could help him anticipate which would make him an even better defender.
