After disappointing showing against then-No. 7 Tennessee, No. 20 Maryland men’s basketball looks for better performance versus No. 16 UCLA

By: Jack Parry and Michael Rovetto

No. 20 Maryland men’s basketball had its worst perimeter shooting performance of the season its last time out against then-No. 7 Tennessee, and couldn’t overcome the Volunteers’ physicality in the Terps’ 56-53 loss on Sunday.

It seemed there was a lid on the basket at the Barclays Center for the Terps when they shot from the outside, going 2-24 from three-point range. 

According to coach Kevin Willard, Maryland isn’t constructed to win without good shooting, and the key to the Terps’ success is their three-point shooting.

“We have to win the three point battle, we’re just not gonna out physicality anybody, it’s just not the way we’re built,” Willard said.

Tennessee didn’t shoot particularly well from three either, going 7-21 from beyond the arc. But the Volunteers made timely threes down the stretch in the second half that pushed them over the Terps.

Sophomore guard Zakai Zeigler came up clutch with 12 points —  including a three late in the second half from the right corner to seal the win for Tennessee.

Another important aspect of the loss was that Maryland constantly got bossed around by Tennessee on the glass all game. Tennessee won the rebounding battle 48-40, and dominated on the offensive boards 21-8, which led to the Volunteers finishing with 14 more field goal attempts than the Terps.

Even though Maryland tried to mount a comeback in the second half, the domination in those facets of the game provided too big of a challenge for the Terps.

“We just let them push us around a little bit too much,” Willard said. “I really thought especially early in the game that we kind of let them set the tone a little bit.”

The loss was the Terps’ second in a row, which dropped them to 8-2 following a perfect start to the season. Maryland hopes to rebound against No. 16 UCLA, also 8-2 on the season. The Bruins are riding a five-game winning streak.

Coach Mick Cronin is at the helm of the Bruins for the fourth year. 

Currently sitting second in the PAC-12, UCLA is looking to build off last year’s success which saw the Bruins finish second in the PAC-12 and advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. 

This season, the Bruins have established themselves as a force on the offensive and defensive end. UCLA ranks seventh in adjusted efficiency margin per Kenpom — the difference between a team’s offensive and defensive efficiency. Maryland ranks 23rd.

The Bruins’ average score margin of 18 points per game is sixth-best among all Division One schools, and their assist-to-turnover ratio is good for third in the nation. Both of those categories are indicative of UCLA’s scoring ability, high level of ball control, and unselfishness to create open shots.

UCLA also rarely turns the ball over, while its defense forces opponents to turn the ball over at a high rate. The Bruins have won the turnover battle in every game played thus far. In its last outing against Denver, UCLA forced a season-high 24 turnovers while only registered six of its own. 

The two losses for UCLA came against ranked opponents at the time, then-No. 19 Illinois and then-No. 5 Baylor. In those losses, the Illini and the Bears had their way shooting from deep, as the Bruins surrendered nearly a 42% rate from three.

Two of the Bruins’ star players from last year’s squad that received First-Team All-Pac-12 honors returned for the 2022-23 campaign, senior guards Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell. Junior guard Jaylen Clark returned as well, a member of the conference’s All-Defensive Team a season ago.

Led by their guard play, Jaquez Jr. leads the Bruins with 17.4 points per game. His lengthy 6-foot-7 frame allows him to finish at the rim with ease and gives the Bruins versatility in their lineups as he often plays as a forward. 

Clark is the second-leading scorer for UCLA (15.1), but leads the Bruins with 2.3 steals and 6.1 rebounds per game. Clarks’s ability to lock down defenders on the perimeter and knock down the three at a high rate makes him one of the best three-and-D players in the PAC-12. 

Campbell is the facilitator of the group, leading with 4.8 assists per game.

The game will tip-off at 9:00 and will take place at the XFINITY Center in College Park.