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Maryland basketball: Anthony Cowan the key to Terps winning Big Ten

By Rucker Haringey

COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - JANUARY 30: Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins in action against the Iowa Hawkeyes during at Xfinity Center on January 30, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - JANUARY 30: Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins in action against the Iowa Hawkeyes during at Xfinity Center on January 30, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Maryland basketball is talented from top to bottom but they need Anthony Cowan to be great if they’re going to win the Big Ten Championship.

Anthony Cowan has powered Maryland to a strong start to the Big Ten season. If the Terrapins are going to finish the year with a Conference Championship, they’re going to need Cowan to play even better.

The 22-year-old lead guard can justifiably be called the heart and soul of this Maryland team. Senior guards aren’t all the rage in NBA draft circles, but they are a highly valued commodity in college basketball. Head coach Mark Turgeon is certainly happy he can rely on Cowan to be a consistent leader.

Entering Tuesday night’s game against Nebraska, the Terrapins led the Big Ten standings with a conference record of 9-3. That also led them to the No. 8 spot in the NCAA’s Net Rankings, which means Maryland has an outside chance of earning a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday.

To reach those heights, the Terrapins will need to win a Big Ten title. In a perfect world, Turgeon’s team could win the regular-season crown and then validate it with a Big Ten Tournament title. Achieving either of those goals will require Cowan to find an extra gear down the stretch.

For the record, he’s already playing high-level basketball. He leads the team in scoring with an average of 16.4 points per game and backs it up by also leading the Terrapins in assists with a mark of 4.4 helpers per night. He’s a ball-dominant guard who creates shots efficiently for himself and his teammates.

Cowan can boost his productivity by tightening up his shooting from all over the floor. He’s shooting a respectable 34.6 percent from distance on over six attempts per game. Finding a way to find a few more clean shots could boost the total up a few percentage points down the stretch.

His production from inside the arc has been an issue at times for Turgeon and the coaching staff. Shooting just under 44 percent from two has really caused Cowan’s efficiency numbers to take a hit. It’s fair to point out he’s the guy who’s forced to take tough shots in late situations, but it’s also fair to point out his shot selection could use some work.

Cowan takes slightly too many mid-range jump shots. If he could eliminate a few of those contested looks per game it could do wonders for his offensive efficiency. It could also boost his team’s scoring and his personal assist numbers.

The best news for Cowan and Maryland is they don’t project to have any games against ranked opponents down the stretch.

A pair of games against Michigan State could be tricky, but the Terrapins should be favored in each contest. It’s also easy to envision the team’s home finale against Michigan being a key contest in their march towards a regular-season Big Ten title.

Expect Cowan to continue to shoulder a major workload in each one of Maryland’s remaining games. When their offensive possessions break down he’s the guy his teammates look for to bail them out of a sticky situation.

The key for Cowan will be to use his talents to create good shots for him and his teammates before the shot clock dips into single digits. If Cowan can marginally improve his shooting and decision-making, Maryland has a chance to cut down the nets in the Big Ten Championship.

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