No. 23 Maryland Basketball (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten) are looking to bounce back against the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (5-4), the storyline of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
TV Schedule: Wednesday, December 8, 4:00 p.m. ET, BTN
Location: Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland Basketball is coming off of a tough 62-60 loss on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers (6-3, 1-1 Big Ten). A game where the Terps excelled at the three-point line early on but in the second half, Purdue’s defense stalled the Terps offense’ not allowing them to score on multiple possessions down the stretch.
Anthony Cowan Jr. had 18 points and six assists on the night but struggled shooting the ball (4-17 from the field, 2-10 from behind the arc). Purdue’s defense had a lot to do with that. For Purdue, Carson Edwards had 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Aaron Wheeler gave the Boilermakers solid production off the bench with his 15 points along with three rebounds.
The Loyola Chicago Ramblers rambled all the way to the Final Four last season going on an impressive run that ended with 69-57 loss to the Michigan Wolverines. The Ramblers are now looking to get a big win over their first ranked opponent this season in Maryland basketball. Marques Townes (14.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.6 APG), Clayton Custer (14 PPG, 3.1 APG) and Cameron Krutwig (13.9 PPG 7.2 RPG, 72 percent field goal percentage) are going to be priorities defensively for the Terps.
Cowan Jr. is going to have to shake off that Purdue game and come out setting the pace for the team. Their offense can ill afford to have consecutive empty trips down the stretch if they want to avoid an upset in this game.
What’s going to win the game for each side? Defense. whoever can play better defense, get blocks, steals and rebounds will win. Loyola Chicago is no slouch. The Terps won’t be able to walk all over them.