It’s not fair to blame all of Maryland’s offensive struggles on the PG spot, but it has certainly been a primary area of concern. We all know the PG is the most important position on the court. Consistency at PG is essential for basketball teams to be successful. Constantly substituting at point only adds to the confusion and prevents players from understanding their roles and getting in the flow of a game.

Maryland needs to settle the PG debate, for better or worse. Whether it’s Howard or Allen, someone should be named the starter and the team should move forward and give that player a chance to lead the team – without constant substitutions after a bad play. Shuffling between the two players is not going to make Maryland a better basketball team.

I vote Allen as I think his upside is far greater and Maryland needs his offense on the court. But Turgeon needs to make a decision, even if that decision is Howard.

Interestingly, I watched the substitution “pattern” in the Miami game and was often perplexed. Allen scores two quick buckets after halftime and is pulled. He doesn’t get back in the game for five minutes. There are plenty of other examples. To be sure, when a team is playing as badly as Maryland was, a coach has to keep trying different combinations in the hopes someone will do something. But I get the feeling the coaching staff is as confused as anyway about who to play and where. That’s not a good thing. Substituting too much hurts the flow of the game and I think that’s exactly what’s been going on.

So while I love the depth of this team I wonder if we don’t need to settle on a lineup and let them play. Once that is decided, a substitution pattern for the other players can proceed. Right now, I'm not sure anyone knows that their role is.

BTW, Am I the only one starting to have some questions about preparation and game coaching by Turgeon? For now I think it’s a tad early. But hey, if players can be questioned about their play after every game, why not a coaching staff?