Torturing teams from beyond the arc is something Marquette has prided itself on since Shaka Smart took over as coach ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.
Smart’s 15th-ranked Golden Eagles have been struggling from downtown to start this season, but they’ll have a chance to find their 3-point stroke Friday night when they face Maryland in College Park, Md.
Marquette (3-0) went 10-for-36 from deep in a 70-62 victory over Central Michigan on Monday night and has knocked down only 29.4 percent of its triples through the first three games of the season.
“Those are shots that our guys make in practice, our guys will make in games,” Smart said of the 26 missed 3-pointers against the Chippewas. “I’m sure people will say, ‘Well why do you shoot them if they’re not making them?’ We believe in those guys.”
What had Smart more concerned is what happened after those misses. Marquette snatched only six offensive rebounds against Central Michigan, something Smart considered an unacceptable figure for a team that so often was off the mark.
“I think as a team, we have a lot of maturing to do from the standpoint of … having a willingness to win ugly,” Smart said. “But then on the flip side, having an understanding of what goes into stepping on the other team’s throat when you have a lead.
“And we’re gonna work on continuing to get better at that, and that’s something that every year you gotta build. Competition goes up in our next game.”
That competition has been steamrolling teams, as the Terrapins (3-0) have won each of their first three games by at least 30 points.
Maryland most recently beat Florida A&M 84-53 on Monday behind 21 points and nine rebounds from Julian Reese. Selton Miguel chipped in 14 points, while Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished with 12.
The Terrapins ended with five scorers in double figures, also getting 11 points from Derik Queen and 10 from Rodney Rice, and Reese said his team will be tough to slow down with so many weapons.
“I feel like it’s helping us build trust in each other,” Reese said. “I feel like we’re a versatile team where anybody can have a good night. Derik had a good first night, Rodney’s second night off the bench was electric, and I feel like (Monday) was just my night.
“Friday is probably gonna be somebody else’s night. We just keep doing that, and we’re gonna be good and staying on ourselves. We’re gonna be great.”
Rice is Maryland’s leading scorer at an average of 16.7 points per game, while Gillespie and Queen each average 13.7.
Kam Jones has gotten off to a fast start for the Golden Eagles and is putting up a team-high 22.7 points per game. He was held to 12 on Monday, when Stevie Mitchell led Marquette with 17 points.
Maryland has played the Golden Eagles just once, beating them 84-63 on Dec. 1, 2019.
–Field Level Media
