COLLEGE PARK— Maryland guard Richaud Pack said he felt the difference almost immediately when the men’s basketball team returned to practice Saturday, two days after the No. 17 Terps suffered their worst loss of the season at Ohio State. Pack, who had been one of the team’s steadiest contributors this season, said Tuesday that it was even more obvious by Monday, when Maryland (18-4, 6-3) got ready for Wednesday’s home game against Penn State (14-8, 2-7). The subject was fatigue, and how tired the Terps looked during a lackluster performance that led to an 80-56 loss to the Buckeyes last Thursday at Value City Arena. “I probably didn’t feel it during [the Ohio State game] but I felt a lot better since, refreshed with fresh legs the last couple of days,” Pack said before practice Wednesday at Xfinity Center. “You’d see it with little things like people dunking around after practice that you wouldn’t have seen a week ago.” Though a tough stretch in the schedule that also included a 19-point loss at Indiana the week before contributed to Maryland getting outrebounded, 51-32, by a Buckeyes team not known for being beasts on the boards, junior forward Jake Layman said Wednesday that it was more than just being tired. It showed not only with the Terps slow getting to rebounds, particularly on their offensive end, but in closing out on 3-point shooters and providing help to teammates who had been beaten off the dribble for drives. Ohio State continued a string of hot shooting that started at Indiana, and even continued during a one-point home win over Northwestern. The Buckeyes were 17-for-29 in the second half overall, and 10 of 17 on 3-point shots for the game. “I think it was just laziness on some possessions, if one guy is lazy it breaks the whole defense down,” Layman said. Maryland coach Mark Turgeon is hoping the combination of the team’s first bye – not playing in six days – and coming back home, where the Terps have yet to lose a Big Ten game all season, will be a perfect remedy. …
Continue Reading: After some rest, Terps seek return to form vs. Penn State
