The Maryland Terrapins look to bounce back on Saturday against Penn State. The Terps saw their 4 game win streak come to an end on Tuesday night against Michigan State. They went down 15-0 to start the game. They battled back the entire game and came back to actually take the lead with under 10 minutes left, but soon lost it and were not able to close it out. Although it was a loss, it was a promising performance to see the Terps battle for the entirety of the game, instead of simply rolling over. Penn State lost on Wednesday night, 79-74 for their third loss in a row. They continue to struggle as of late, and come into College Park Saturday for a Big Ten Conference show off.
For the Terps, this is their first matchup against Penn State this year and it will seemingly be a big one. As the push to March Madness continues, conference wins become more and more important, and the race is on. The Terps will look to start a new win streak, starting with Penn State at home Saturday afternoon. Xfinity Center as we all know is not an easy place for opposing teams to come into, and should be rocking for the home team on Saturday. This game is big for many reasons, but another one being it is the last game before squaring off against number one Purdue at home next Thursday.
The Terps on Tuesday night, were about as bad as it gets from behind the arc. They shot a whopping 3/22, coming in at just over 13 percent. Losing a game by 5, there is not much more to stay then to look at the shooting percentage for the Terps. Whether it is becoming shot selection issues or not, the bottom line is they either have to shoot it better in order to win big games. Driving the basketball to the hoop and finding some points in the paint seem to be a real success for them, so shying away from that when the time matters, does not always make the most sense. Reese came away with 11 points on Tuesday night, finding most of those right next to the rim.
On Saturday, the Terps will have to establish their game plan early. It seems when the 3 point shooting is off, it is off to the max. Simply look at the games against Michigan on the road, as well as UCLA at home. When the 3 doesn’t fall, the Terps seem to panic and continue to throw it up, hoping they will fall. The tell is early in the game on whether or not the shots will fall. On Saturday, they need to find their groove early and make sure to pound the ball inside as well. The inside game continues to work with Reese, finding him early and often should be a priority for the Terps. Going along with the home crowd, getting a groove early would be a big bonus on Saturday. They have the ability with the home crowd to really put some pressure on the visitors early, and doing so would do nothing but help their case.
Penn State is coming off of a tough overtime loss at home against Wisconsin on Tuesday night, extending their losing streak to 5 games. The Nittany Lions are led by guards Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy. If the Terps are able to limit these two, and have the crowd behind them early and often, the Terps should find themselves getting right back on track. The face off starts today at noon, Go Terps!
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