Preview: Maryland looks to bounce back versus Canisius

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Athletics

Maryland Men’s Basketball (3-1) has a chance to clean the dirty taste out of its mouth from Friday night’s disappointing loss to the No. 15 Marquette Golden Eagles, as they host the Canisius Golden Griffins (0-5) at the Xfinity Center on Tuesday.

After three straight dominant performances, the Terps dug themselves a hole with multiple self-inflicted wounds down the stretch against the Golden Eagles, including 13 turnovers. The Terps welcome a struggling Canisius team, which will be playing its third game in the past four days, hoping for a reset before hitting the road for the first time this season. 

Belmont transfer guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and five-star freshman big man Derik Queen once again shined for the Terps on Friday, each dropping 24 points. However, not a single other player hit double digits, with only six total points coming off the bench, all from Virginia Tech transfer Rodney Rice. 

Despite their record, Canisius features a potentially dangerous offense. The Golden Griffins are led by junior guard Paul McMillan IV, who has scored 20 or more points in four of his first five games. He currently ranks second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and 26th in the nation in scoring average, with 22.4 points per game thus far. 

Senior guard Tana Kopa currently leads the MAAC and is ninth in the nation with 18 three-pointers made. His success beyond the arc is the best in Canisius program history through the first five games. However, Canisius is only averaging seven offensive rebounds per game. If the Terps can take away the Golden Griffins’ first look, they won’t need to worry about second-chance points. 

On the defensive side, the Golden Griffins have struggled mightily. They currently rank tied for 330th for average points allowed out of 364 teams, allowing 82 points per game to their opponents. They also rank 353rd out of 363 in average assists allowed with 17.6 given up per game. The Terps should find easy success on the offensive side if they utilize strong ball movement in the offensive zone and take advantage of fast break opportunities. 

The Terps will look to finish their five-game homestand on a high note. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and can be viewed on Big Ten Plus.