Maryland Terrapins: Looking to Build Winning Streak against Rutgers

The Maryland Terrapins dropped three spots in the latest AP rankings to number 14 after their 69-60 win against the Purdue Boilermakers January 10th. It wasn’t much of a surprise after their loss to the Illinois Illini 64-57. This drop in the polls is not as much of a blow as it could’ve been, they still have more opportunities to get back in top ten contention. The Terps’ next opportunity is Wednesday, January 14 against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Xfinity Center. Game time is at 7 pm and it can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

Looking at the Maryland Terrapins in the previous game, what stuck out was their transition from shooting outside shots from behind the three-point line in the first half to being more aggressive, attacking the basket and drawing fouls which allowed them to keep getting to the line. In fact they got to the line 31 times against Purdue and made 27 of them at 87 percent. That’s a bread and butter strategy for the Terps, and it helps that they have several players that can shoot the three-point shot.

The Terps are facing a Rutgers team that is coming off of a 69-62 win against the fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers. There are two primary players that the Terps need to look out for: senior guard Myles Mack (13.8 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, 4.2 assists per game) and junior forward Kadeem Jack (12.6 points per game. 6.6 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game). In that recent game against Wisconsin, 21 points and 20 points were scored by those two players respectively.

The Terps have had great success defensively against teams this season, but the offensive fire power is what is winning games for them. They have depth at every position and are injury free right now. Hopefully that lasts until the end of the season and they can prove they’re a formidable opponent come NCAA Tournament time. The biggest key on Wednesday evening will be how they handle Mack and Jack. If the Terps are able to shut them down or take away the production of just one of them, Maryland will be all right.