Maryland redshirt sophomore forward Ivan Bender, who Mark Turgeon tabbed as the team’s biggest preseason surprise last month, fractured his non-shooting wrist last weekend in practice and will be out indefinitely. Turgeon said Bender’s injury will not require surgery, and hopes he’ll be back “sooner than later.”

Turgeon added that Bender started at power forward last Saturday in the Terps’ private scrimmage against Wake Forest in Richmond.

“Ivan was really playing well,” Turgeon said. “It’s a step back for him. I feel bad for him because he had been practicing so well and players were gaining confidence in him and he was gaining confidence.”

(What's the next big story at Maryland? Before you finish reading, take five seconds NOW to sign up for our FREE Terps newsletter. We'll deliver the latest big news to you!)

Bender, a 6-foot-9, 235 pound power forward, has been a marginal contributor since coming to College Park less than two years ago from Croatia. He had previously suffered two ACL injuries, which prevented him from making an immediate impact with the Terps and saw him struggle to return to his pre-injury form. The older brother of NBA lottery pick Dragan Bender, he was a member of Croatia’s under-19 team in the World Championships when he first tore his ACL in 2013. Less than a year later, he suffered the same injury while practicing.

He showed signs of promise last month in Maryland’s open scrimmage.

“He can really pass it,” Turgeon said at the time. “He’s very smart defensively, too.”

Given Bender’s unexpected emergence, Turgeon does have other options inside. He has two versatile forward options, graduate transfer L.G. Gill and freshman Justin Jackson, and could also deploy a big lineup with junior center Michal Cekovsky and Damonte Dodd. It also gives a chance for skilled 6-foot-9 freshman Joshua Tomaic to show he’s ready to contribute earlier than expected.

Turgeon will get a chance to experiment with roster combinations this Saturday in Maryland’s lone exhibition contest against D-2 Catawba.

“It’s going to open up opportunities for guys. There’s just more minutes there,” Turgeon said. “They’re all going to get a chance Saturday; I hope everybody gets a chance to play.”

Note: Cekovsky is still not 100 percent after injury his knee on August 29th, but Turgeon said he expects him to play Saturday barring any setbacks.

“It’s been a process,” Turgeon said. “As he’s gotten back in practice, the game’s still moving a little bit too quick for him … I think where Ceko’s going to help us more early season if we can get him to 100 percent is defense and rebounding. That’s way ahead of his offense right now because he’s just a little bit rusty because of the injury. But I think he’s showing more; he’s made a couple of threes in practice; he’s making a lot of 15-footers; he’s doing things off the dribble. He’s more confident, I know that, but it’s just moving a little bit too quick for him offensively right now as he’s coming off this injury.”