Takeaways from Miami's 88-70 Loss Against Maryland
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After a commanding win against Providence on Saturday, Miami lost its first contest of the season on Sunday against Maryland.
The Terrapins held a 47-34 lead at halftime and answered every run Miami went on in the second half.
Here are five takeaways from the game.
1. Miami was dominated on the boards.
Maryland held a 39-20 rebounding advantage over the Hurricanes, including an 11-8 offensive rebounding advantage.
The Hurricanes' lack of size will remain an issue for the entirety of the season, but Miami will have to do a better job at boxing out and rebounding as a team to combat this.
Forward Norchad Omier led UM with six rebounds.
2. Julian Reese outplayed Omier.
In a battle of talented sophomore forwards, Reese won the battle against Omier.
The 6-foot-9 Baltimore native was a force in the paint on both ends of the floor.
Reese anchored the Terrapins' interior defense and showed great touch near the basket on the offense. He finished the game with 17 points and seven rebounds.
3. Miami needs more from Nijel Pack
The Kansas State transfer was brought to Miami to fill the team's starting point guard vacancy, but the Hurricanes might want him to step into a larger scoring role moving forward.
Pack finished with seven points on 3-for-10 shooting against Maryland, and he has struggled to find his shot-making rhythm so far this season.
The sophomore guard is a fine facilitator, but for Miami to reach its offensive ceiling, the Hurricanes need Pack to score in a similar way to how he did last season when he was recognized on the All-Big 12 First Team.
4. UM's forced turnovers were a bright spot for its defense.
One positive from the loss for the Hurricanes was the 18 Maryland turnovers they forced.
Miami forced these turnovers by trapping ball screens and jumping passing lanes. This aggressive style of defense was a hallmark of the team's Elite Eight run in the NCAA Tournament last year.
The Hurricanes only turned the ball over nine times against the Terrapins.
5. Maryland had way too many paint touches.
While the Terrapins were red-hot from deep, shooting 9-for-21 from beyond the 3-point line, they did most of their damage within the paint.
Forward Donta Scott outmuscled Miami's perimeter defenders on multiple back-downs to the basket, and guard Jahmir Young was able to create scoring opportunities for himself and for his teammates by knifing his way to the rim.
This was the poorest defensive effort of the season for the Hurricanes.
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