Maryland Basketball Coming to Baltimore for First Time in 16 Years

The Maryland Terrapins will play in Baltimore for the first time in 16 years when they take on Princeton at Royal Farms Arena.

It has been 16 years since Maryland basketball has played a game in the largest city in the state. That changes tonight.

The Maryland Terrapins (9-1) will head to Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore and play their first game in Baltimore since defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in 1999.

The Terps enter the contest as the No. 6 team in the country, but will be in for a battle against a Princeton team that is currently 6-2. They are led by junior forward Henry Caruso, who is averaging 18.5 points and eight rebounds per game. He is shooting 58 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc, which are all career highs from the California native.

It is a shocker that Maryland has not played in Baltimore since 1999 as the Terps played in Charm City for eight consecutive seasons during the 1990s. Princeton has previously played in Baltimore and the Terps won that game, 81-58, in 1998.

Maryland has been out of action since last Saturday when they defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore, 77-56. Melo Trimble has had a terrific start to the season and has seen his draft rise since the start of the season. The preseason All-American is averaging nearly 16 points and five assists a game for a team many feel has all the right pieces to make a championship run come March.

The Terps got off to a sluggish start during the first couple weeks of the season and the loss at North Carolina was the wakeup call to get them going. They have obliterated their past three opponents (St. Francis, Connecticut and UMES) by an average of 24 points a game.

Coach Mark Turgeon has downplayed that the game being played in Baltimore has anything to do with getting the
attention of local prospects, but the impact cannot be ignored. Maryland has seen several off its best players leave the state for other universities, such as Carmelo Anthony and Rudy Gay. Turgeon does have his eye on one Baltimore city recruit: Jalen Smith, a 6-foot-8 sophomore at Mount St. Joseph’s, considered the top prospect in the state. Maryland has already offered him a scholarship.

Next: Melo Trimble Draft Stock is Rising

Tonight’s game is one of two games before the competition really heats up for Turgeon’s squad. The Terps will face off against Marshall next Sunday before Big Ten play opens at home against Penn State on Dec. 30.

The game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.