Maryland nearly escaped Mackey Arena with a marquee victory, but the experience of Purdue basketball prevailed down the stretch.
Takeaway #1: A ‘good loss’ for the Terps?
In college basketball circles, many will vehemently argue there is no such thing as a ‘good loss.’
Maryland fans will be disappointed by the 83-78 loss to Purdue basketball, and rightfully so, as the Terps led by five at the 8:26 mark in the second half. A 10-0 Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn run had the Boilermakers leading by five with 5:18 remaining.
When Derik Queen, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, and the rest of the Maryland offense went cold in the final eight minutes, beating Purdue in Mackey Arena slipped away. Regardless, it was an encouraging performance — particularly by Queen, Gillespie, Selton Miguel, and Rodney Rice — as the team battled to the very end in their first taste of what life in the Big Ten looks like away from home.
Takeaway #2: A new dimension to this Maryland offense?
By this point, talking about how well Queen is playing would be beating a dead horse, but with each game it is clear — his best is (somehow) yet to come.
Queen has dominated just about every big man he has faced, but Kaufman-Renn — a potential All-American — presented his most daunting task to date. The junior has spent the past three years battling Zach Edey in practice — iron sharpens iron.
Queen finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, his fifth 20-plus-point game on the season. The Baltimore native has done most of his work in the post and midrange, displaying his slick footwork and otherworldly passing ability. NBA scouts are salivating at both traits, but today’s game showcased another trait that scouts love: three-point range. Queen had attempted just ten threes on the season and had not yet made one coming into this game. Against Purdue, he was 2 of 5 from distance.
Queen has been making threes in practice and has the coaching staff’s green light. If he is able to knock them down consistently, it will unlock a whole new dimension for the Terps offense.
Julian Reese, who only saw 23 minutes of action due to foul trouble, will be the primary beneficiary, as he will have more room to operate. But it’s a butterfly effect — Gillespie will have more space coming off of ball screens. Rice, Miguel, and others will have cleaner looks from three-point territory.
Takeaway #3: Braden Smith’s scoring prowess
Matt Painter and the Purdue coaching staff in West Lafayette know how capable of a scorer Smith is — they see it in practice every day.
Through three years at Purdue, Smith is averaging 11 points a game. His performance Sunday (24 points, 10 assists) reminds the country that when his number is called upon, he will deliver. Smith is a prototypical college point guard: pass-first and gets his teammates involved. With Edey in the NBA, however, the Boilermakers will find themselves in need of a scoring spark at times.
Smith hit four massive threes in the second half en route to the victory. He plays within himself and asserts himself according to what the game script demands. Today, the game script entailed him to look for his shot. He is playing like a true floor general which is reminiscent of Tyler Kolek’s time at Marquette.
Next up for Maryland (8-2): vs. St Francis PA (4-6) – Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. EST
Next up for Purdue (8-2): vs. Texas A&M (7-2) – Dec. 14 at Noon EST