Terps are starting to take care of the ball

Maryland had 16 assists in win against Nebraska, the 3rd straight game with at least 10

COLLEGE PARK — Maryland men’s basketball continued to take care of home court with an 82-63 win over Nebraska on Saturday afternoon at the Xfinity Center.

From forward Patrick Emilien’s breakout game to guard Don Carey discovering his shot, here are three takeaways from the Terps’ 14th victory of the season.

Don Carey finds his shooting touch

First-year coach Kevin Willard never lost faith in Carey.

The graduate transfer from Georgetown has struggled in recent weeks, but against Nebraska (10-12, 3-8 Big Ten), he finally discovered his shooting touch. He finished with 16 points, marking the first time he scored in double figures since Jan. 8 against Ohio State.

Carey was efficient throughout the game, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 from the 3-point line. When Nebraska cut Maryland’s lead to eight points to start the second half, he nailed a 3-pointer to push the Terps’ lead back to double figures. Later in the half, Carey buried another three to extend the lead to 69-52 with 7:16 left.

“It was a matter of time,” Willard said. “He made some tough [3-pointers], which was great to see because that’s what he’s capable of doing.”

After shooting 38.8% from the 3-point line at Georgetown last season, Carey was expected to come in and give the Terps’ offense a much-needed boost, but he’s averaged just 7.3 points per game while shooting a career-low 30.6% from deep.

He’s had some standout moments, including scoring 16 points against Saint Louis and 19 against UMBC, but he entered Saturday having shot just 3-for-18 from the field over the past four games. Against the Cornhuskers, it all came together.

“My confidence never dropped,” he said. “My teammates believed in me [and] that’s the most important thing.”

Carey’s shooting is crucial for the Terps, who are 5-1 in games in which he scores in double figures. In those six games, Carey has shot 57.5% from the 3-point line while Maryland has averaged 79.2 points — nearly 10 more than its season average (70.4), which ranks 204th in the nation.

“If he starts doing that, I think it opens up everything else for everybody,” Willard said.