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Maryland Basketball: A Look Inside Terps’ First Four Big Ten Games

By Christopher Church

Nov 15, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Jaylen Brantley (1) and Maryland Terrapins guard Anthony Cowan (0) celebrates with their teammates on the court after defeating Georgetown Hoyas 76-75 at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Jaylen Brantley (1) and Maryland Terrapins guard Anthony Cowan (0) celebrates with their teammates on the court after defeating Georgetown Hoyas 76-75 at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Maryland Basketball: Melo Trimble
Jan 12, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) shoots the ball over Michigan Wolverines forward Mark Donnal (34) in the first half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Maryland @ Michigan (Sat, Jan 7, 3:15 p.m. ET on ESPN2)

Storylines

Following non-conference play, Michigan sits at 10-3 on the season with two losses against RPI top 50 teams at South Carolina and at No. 2 UCLA. Michigan was blown out in both losses but was able to get a win over SMU on a neutral site back on Nov. 18th. Their other loss came against Virginia Tech who rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to defeat Michigan 73-70.

Last season, Michigan completed the upset against Maryland and handed the Terps their second loss of the season in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Maryland gained their revenge in a late February matchup at College Park, holding on to the 86-82 win. Michigan begins conference play as a falling No. 9 seed in ESPN’s Bracketology by Joe Lunardi.

Players to Watch

Michigan’s workhorse Zak Irvin leads the Wolverines in scoring with 14.1 points per game and just a smidgen under five rebounds per game with 3.5 assists. The Wolverines is one of the nation’s superior teams from beyond the arc with a collection of three-point specialists in Irvin, Derrick Walton, Duncan Robinson and Mo Wagner. As a team, Michigan ranks 23rd best in the nation for three-point field goals made along with 333 three-point attempts, which is 32nd in the nation.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who has struggled this season, possess the potential to break out of his early-season slump and rack up points in a hurry.

Bottom Line

Maryland will play on the road against Michigan for just the second time since 1927. The Terps must contain Michigan’s shots beyond the arc if they want to come out victorious in their first B1G Ten road game of the season. Unlike Maryland, who places near the bottom in the country with 14.2 turnovers per game, Michigan’s smart play ranks them third in the nation with just 9.6 turnovers per game.

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