Entering the Maryland men's basketball team's contest against Ohio State at Xfinity Center Feb. 11, freshman guard Anthony Cowan had made just nine of his last 37 field-goal attempts throughout a stretch of five games and last made a 3-pointer Jan. 19 at Iowa.
And during a 70-64 loss at Penn State Feb. 7 -- the second game in four days -- Cowan played just 23 minutes, went 0-for-5 from the field and didn't appear to have his usual energy and burst in getting to the paint and finishing at the rim. After the Terps' 86-77 victory against the Buckeyes, Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon revealed he met with Cowan Feb. 9.
"I said, 'Anthony, here's what I want: The last seven games, I want you to lead the league in assists and be the best defender. I don't care if you score.' And he goes for 19," Turgeon said. "So because you talk about that, it takes the pressure off the other part. And he hit the first one, and he got to the foul line, which was great. I still want him to lead the league in assists the last seven games, and I want him to be the best defender. He was better defensively tonight."
