Sixth-seeded Maryland Basketball (23-10) and third-seeded LSU basketball (27-6) are meeting in the second round after playing two very close games a short time ago
TV Schedule: Saturday, March 23 at 12:10 p.m. ET on CBS
Location: Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL
Maryland basketball survived a hard-fought first-round matchup Saturday against the Belmont Bruins,79-77, in a game that showcased the stars of both teams. Ultimately, it was the defense that won the game for the Terps. Without that steal by Daryll Morsell toward the end of the game, the Terps probably would be going home right now. That one play saved their season and tournament run. The Terps won the battles where it counted: rebounding (41-37), points in the paint (44-36), second-chance points (20-11) and fast break points (20-10).
Now the Terps are playing a LSU team that had a similar scoring game with their starters in their 79-74, win over the Yale Bulldogs. Junior guard Skylar Mays led the way for the Tigers with 19 points and three rebounds followed by double-doubles from forwards Naz Reid (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Kavell Bigby-Williams (10 points,10 rebounds, four blocks). Sophomore guard Tremont Waters scored 15 points, had seven assists and two steals. LSU basketball finished with a 16-2 SEC record, finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak and lost their conference quarterfinal matchup to the Florida Gators 76-73.
The Tigers match up with the Terps well in the frontcourt and their guard play so Saturday’s matchup could be another close one. Maryland basketball had their lowest turnover game with five all season. A game like that came at the best time.
For their next game, Anthony Cowan Jr. needs to take better shots and get going early. The other four starters were consistent with their shot selection throughout the Belmont game. He was 3-of-18 shooting against the Bruins and that kind of shooting performance won’t hold up against the Tigers if they want to move on.