Maryland (5-2, 0-1 conf) heads back into Big Ten after a brief dip out to play LaSalle. In the 84-71 win, Eric Ayala scored 23 points, Aaron Wiggins chipped in 15 points.
Next up, the Terps will try to get their first conference win at Mackey Arena when face Purdue (6-3, 1-1 conf) on Christmas Day. Maryland has won the last two meetings between the two. However their last win at Mackey Arena was in 2015.
In their last outing, the Boilermakers were the latest team to wilt under Luka Garza and the Iowa Hawkeyes. In the 70-55 loss, leading scorer Trevion Williams 14 points and 9 rebounds. Coming into the Iowa game, Williams had averaging 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists during a four game stretch.
Keys to Victory
Darryl Morsell Must Be Better
Morsell has struggled of late. In his last three games, he’s 13-34 from the field and, at times, have lacked awareness on the floor. Against the Boilermakers, he can’t over-penetrate or force things that aren’t there just to get his own offense. The opportunities will be there especially if Painter decides to take away Ayala.
Great Scott
Donta Scott has provided the Terps with a lot of energy and that has to continue against Purdue. Scott electrified the Terps fan with a rim-rattling follow-up dunk. Scott (12.7 points per game) has scored double-figures in 6-of-7 games and leads the team in rebounds (7.1).
Hart of the Matter
Sophomore Hakim Hart has shown he can be a spark plug for the Terps. Against LaSalle, Hart came off the bench to score 13. He’s 2-9 from the 3-point line in the last three games but he’s still a threat from beyond the arc.
Outlook
Road games have been hard to measure with so many states limiting or not having fans at all. The Terps can’t get blitzed like they did when they went to Clemson. Offensively, Aaron Wiggins will need to be as aggressive as he was in the LaSalle game. He should have, at least, 10 shot attempts if Maryland wants to win especially if Ayala is the focus of the Boilermakers defense.
Photo Credit: Maryland Athletics
