The most significant piece of news revealed in the aftermath of Maryland’s 68-66 win over Indiana Wednesday night was the health of point guard Melo Trimble.
The freshman sensation has been dealing with back and leg issues and told reporters that he injured his back in late December and has been feeling the effects at different times since then. The injury eventually began affecting his left leg, but Trimble said he’s feeling much better now.
“I don’t want to make excuses for him,” head coach Mark Turgeon said. “Melo was playing hurt [for] about three games. He’s feeling better. We are getting healthy now.”
Trimble scored 18 points against the Hoosiers and produced 20 in Sunday’s loss at Iowa, but the 6-foot-2 guard had struggled mightily in the two games before that, going a combined 0-for-13 from the field against Penn State and Ohio State. He’s averaging 15.5 points per game this season.
With the Terps all but certain to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010, Trimble’s health will be a critical factor in determining how far Maryland might advance in March.
