Frustration is slowly building for coach Mark Turgeon and this Maryland basketball program after a buzzer-beating loss to local rival George Washington, dropping the Terrapins to 5-4 in what has been an unfavorable start to the season in College Park.
Turgeon feels that, it appears, and addressed the issue on Wednesday as his team prepares to open ACC play against Boston College on Thursday.
“I know everybody thinks the world’s coming to an end if you’re a Terp basketball fan,” Turgeon said. “But I’m really positive about the future and what lies ahead for us.”
Turgeon talked not only about the struggles that the program faces today, like a lack of consistency at the point guard position and a persistent turnover problem that has the team ranked 277th in the nation.
In an attempt to find a fix, Turgeon has shuffled the cards, starting former D-III guard Varun Ram in the second half against Ohio State and again to begin the game on Sunday against George Washington.
He also gave Penn State transfer Jonathan Graham his most meaningful playing time of the season, an energetic 15 minutes against GW. He responded with five points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots.
On the horizon is a Boston College team that has played one of the most rigorous non-conference schedules in the country to begin the season. The Eagles have already faced Providence, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Washington, Purdue, and Southern California, making them perhaps the most talented 3-6 team in the country.
“It’s not where we want it right now, but our point guard play is going to be good in the future,” Turgeon said. “We’ve got good players, so looking forward to it. It’s no fun right now … but we’ve got a great opportunity tomorrow night.”
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