Maryland men’s basketball (9-4, 1-1 Big Ten) opens up the New Year with a monumental task, welcoming No. 1 Purdue (12-1, 1-1 Big Ten) to College Park Tuesday night.
The game will be the first of the Terps’ official 18-game conference slate. They split their two Big Ten opponents that were dispersed throughout their non-conference season.
Many are familiar with what transpired the last time Kevin Willard’s squad welcomed the Boilermakers to town. A signature win took place, as in the coach’s inaugural season the Terps pulled off a 68-54 upset of the No. 3 team in the country. Maryland used a 17-point differential in the second-half to cruise to the 14-point win — it was a legendary moment for the program as fans rushed the court in a hurry to celebrate the magical moment.
The Terps will look to emulate that winning formula this year. But things will be a little different.
Maryland brings an inexperienced team to the floor, returning just three players who cracked the rotation in last year’s upset — Jahmir Young, Julian Reese and Donta Scott. Young scored a game-high 20 points while Reese added 10 points and nine rebounds. The Terps received huge contributions that game from now-Villanova wing Hakim Hart, who recorded 13 points in 37 minutes, along with Ian Martinez, Don Carey and Patrick Emilien.
On the Purdue side, coach Matt Painter retained the majority of his roster, most importantly reigning Naismith award winner Zach Edey. Painter’s talented sophomore backcourt tandem of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer also returns, this time with an extra year of experience under their belt.
In last season’s upset, 16 of Purdue’s 22 made field goals came from Edey and Smith. Loyer struggled mightily, shooting 2-for-9 from the field while he received “air ball” chants from the Xfinity Center crowd for the large majority of the night.
Smith and Loyer have been one of the most steady guard pairings in the country this season, contributing 12 and 11 points per game respectively on efficient clips from beyond the arc — 47.6 percent for Smith and 39.3 percent for Loyer.
Purdue will look for both guards to catch fire early on Tuesday, along with its biggest addition of the offseason, Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones. The 6-foot-1 guard has started all 13 games for the Boilermakers, averaging 10.8 points, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
While Young is a familiar foe for Painter and his team, they’ll have to draw up a new gameplan for his backcourt mate, DeShawn Harris-Smith. The freshman has had an up-and-down start to his collegiate career, scoring double-digit points just four times while shooting 36 percent from the field.
Combo guard Jahari Long came on strong to end non-conference play, shooting 43 percent from three across the final four games. The 6-foot-5 senior capped that off with a season-high 15 points against Coppin State on Thursday, stepping into the lead guard role while Young missed the game due to an illness.
Willard will need strong performances from all of his key supporting players, along with Young and Reese, if Maryland wants a fighting chance against the top team in the country.
Both groups enter the contest on a five-game winning streak. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from the Xfinity Center in College Park.
