Terps look to rebound at Seton Hall
Opponent: Seton Hall
Network: FS1, 7 pm
Location: Prudential Center
Maryland hits the road against Big East stalwart, Seton Hall. Last season, the Pirates came to College Park and walked away with a 78-74 victory.
This time around it will be much harder without two of it’s best players. Myles Powell (concussion) and Sandro Mamueklashvili (fractured wrist) are out for tonight’s game.
The Terps have been off for nine days since suffering their first loss of the season at Penn State.
Keys:
Defense
The Terps are second in the Big Ten in Defensive Shooting Percentage, holding opponents to 37.4% shooting from the floor. This starts with how the Terps defend on the perimeter. By cutting off dribble penetration, teams have been forced out of their offensive comfort zone. Even though Seton Hall will be without Powell, this still needs to be a point of emphasis.
Limit Turnovers
Maryland committed 20 turnovers in the loss to Penn State. It was their undoing in a game they could’ve stolen on the road. When asked about the turnovers after the Penn State game, Turgeon said “We wanted to lead the country in dribbling tonight.”
Jalen Smith Needs to Continue to Dominate the Boards
Seton Hall will need an incredible effort on the boards tonight if they want to stay close. That’s where “Sticks” comes into play. The super sophomore has seven double-doubles (5th nationally) and is third in the Big Ten in rebounding (10.2). If Smith and his teammates dominate the boards, the Terps could win by double digits.
Final Word
The Terps can’t relax despite Seton Hall being short-handed but this seems to be a great opportunity to get back on track before revisiting the Big Ten schedule on January 7th against Indiana.
