The Maryland Terrapins have officially arrived. After knocking down the Rutgers Scarlett Knights last Sunday, Maryland enters Week 15 strong. Although they dropped their previous game to an unranked Ohio State, they have stayed in the AP Top-25 at spot 25.
That’s because the Maryland Terrapins have proved themselves. They haven’t lost a game by more than six points which means even when they are off, they’re still good.
Notable 2024-2025 Maryland Games
Week 3, Nov 15th, 2024 vs Marquette: In the Terrapins third game of the season they picked up their first loss, losing to No. 15 Marquette 78-74. Although Maryland played well, they couldn’t hold off Marquette’s #1 Kam Jones who had 28 on the night.
What’s important about this game was its response. The Maryland Terrapins lost this game because their defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed. The following game the team allowed a season low 37 points versus Canisius.
Week 8, Jan 10th, 2025 vs UCLA: Heading into this game Maryland was on the ropes. They had just lost to No. 9 Oregon and No. 8 Purdue, their record was 11-4 and they were on the brink of getting pushed out of March Madness conversations. The Terrapins needed a win badly.
They got one thanks to Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who was a one man show versus No. 22 UCLA. He had 27 points on the night and carried Maryland to their twelfth and biggest win of the season so far.
Week 12, Jan 23rd, 2025 vs Illinois: Just a couple weeks later Maryland trounced No. 17 Illinois 91-70, led by the Terrapins third option Julian Reese who had 27 points and 17 rebounds on the night.
The Turtles(Terrapins) stuck to their MO of dominating the paint and defensive side of the ball this game, and it worked well. They had 68 of their 90 points in the paint and forced 16 turnovers while having only 7. The Maryland Terrapins stayed hot after this win too- they beat another 17th ranked seed(Wisconsin) two games later.
Key To Success: Maryland Has NBA Ready Players
When you watch the Maryland Terrapins, they look like a bad NBA team.
That’s actually a compliment when you think about it.
All five of the Terrapins starting players average double digit points and shoot over 45% from the field. Maryland’s leaders, Derik Queen and Ja’Kobi Gillespie look NBA ready and will likely enter the draft after this season concludes.
Derik Queen
As the season grows longer, so does Derik Queen’s potential. He is the team’s leading scorer at 15.5 PPG on 53% shooting and also grabs eight boards a game. The center’s best game was his most recent one versus Rutgers, he had 29 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. During the game, and really all season, he has been efficient in the paint and in his jumper. Queen makes his play look effortless and the confident he exudes through the TV screen makes him the perfect leader of the Terrapins.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie
Maryland’s second offensive option, Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Him and Queen get most of the offense run through them and the Belmont transfer Gillespie has responded well. He averages 14 PPG and 4.5 APG.
Ja’Kobi is the type of guy that plays until the final buzzer. He singlehandedly won the Maryland Terrapins that game vs UCLA and has kept them in big games that they eventually lost like vs Marquette and Oregon.
Other Pieces
Starting players like forward Julian Reese and guard Rodney Rice have stepped up as well to propel Maryland into the AP Top-25. Reese averages 14 a game and shoots 57% from the field which is 26th in the league. He’s also their leading rebounder at nine a game(31st in league).
Rodney Rice finishes out the Maryland Terrapins starting five and has scored 19+ points in five games this season.
All that to say- Maryland’s depth is their greatest asset and something that could take them far come March. Not only that but the rest of their schedule is relatively easy so they could snag a higher seed which gives them an easier road deep into the March Madness tournament.
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