Preview: Maryland men’s basketball prepares for bout against UMBC

Maryland men’s basketball (9-3) looks to spark another win streak on Thursday when the Terps host UMBC (9-4) in College park.

The Terps defeated Saint Peters 75-45 their last time out, snapping their three game losing streak. The Terps fell back into their familiar ways, dominating Saint Peters from the tip, something they did often in their eight game win streak to open the season.

Sophomore forward Julian Reese missed the game with a shoulder injury, forcing a retooled starting lineup for the Terps. Senior forward Patrick Emilien got the start filling in for Reese, and junior guard Ian Martinez was rewarded for his great play with a start over senior guard Don Carey.

“Moving forward if [Julian Reese] is not on the floor … probably not switching so much,” coach Kevin Willard said. 

Maryland got back on track against Saint Peters with its shooting, an area of concern during the losing streak. After shooting just 26.2% in the three games, the Terps shot 38.1% from three.

“If you look at our three losses, we’ve lost the three-point battle pretty handily,” Willard said. “I think especially for a team that runs and shoots it as well as UMBC does, defending the three-point line is going to be really important. But I do believe I liked the way we started shooting the basketball in the second half of Saint Peters, so I want to work off and build off that too.”

The Terps fared well on the defensive end without Reese as their anchor, forcing 17 turnovers and five blocks. On offense, Maryland recorded 16 assists, a season high.

Senior guard Hakim Hart carried the load offensively with 20 points on an efficient 7-8 shooting from the floor. Graduate student guard Jahmir Young shot his best from the floor all season, scoring 14 points on 75% shooting. Young added four assists and four rebounds.

UMBC is led by second-year coach Jim Ferry. Before taking the reins as the Retrievers head coach, Ferry served as the interim head coach for Penn State during the 2020-21 season. 

During the 2020-21 season, Ferry was victorious in both Big Ten matchups against Maryland. Although both games were low scoring and decided by a margin of just five points, Ferry is an offensive minded coach who helped transform Penn State’s offense during his years as an assistant coach. 

After a 3-4 start to the season, UMBC has erupted offensively, out-scoring its opponents by an average of 15 points during its six game win streak. The streak started Nov. 30 against Coppin State, when the Retrievers broke the 100-point mark for the first time since the 2019-20 season. 

UMBC is undefeated in the month of December thus far, and senior guards Colton Lawrence and Jacob Boonyasith have been the main contributors during the run.

Lawrence has excelled as the main scoring option with UMBC, leading the Retrievers in points per game (14.5). Boonyasith ranks second in points per game (12.3) but has averaged 16.5 during UMBC’s six-game win streak. Against Coppin State Nov. 30, Boonyasith scored a career-high 24 points, nailing five of seven threes en route to a 27-point victory.

Another difference maker for the Retrievers is junior guard Matteo Picarelli. Picarelli is UMBC’s best three-point shooter, leading the team with 38 three-point field goals made. He has made three or more threes in six games this season.

UMBC’s shooting ability keeps the Retrievers in games and allows them to score in bunches. Their 37.5% three-point field goal rate is good for the top 50 among all schools at the Division One level. 

“Obviously they shoot the basketball at an extremely high level and they don’t do it from just one position, they do it from one through four,” Willard said.

In 14 meetings with the Retrievers, the Terps are 14-0 all time with an average score differential of 27.2 points. They last met during the 2017-18 season in College Park, when the Terps won 66-45.

The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. and will take place at the XFINITY Center in College Park. Preview