Maryland Basketball: 2019-20 keys for Terrapins against Oakland

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins dribbles the ball against Kevin McClain #11 of the Belmont Bruins in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at VyStar Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: Aaron Wiggins #2 of the Maryland Terrapins shoots against Javonte Smart #1 of the LSU Tigers during the first half of the game in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vystar Memorial Arena on March 23, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Maryland Basketball returns on Saturday against Oakland. Here are the three biggest keys to the game for the Terps to prevail.

On Saturday, Mark Turgeon’s Terrapins return from a 7-day mini vacation to take on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in College Park. Maryland Basketball comes into the game after a strong start to the season, having won their first two games by a combined 42 points. Maryland remained steadfast at number 7 in the AP poll after their first two games. Oakland sits at 3-1, with their lone loss being a narrow 3-point defeat at home to Delaware.

It may seem like the outcome of the game is a foregone conclusion. But, nothing in life is certain, especially in college basketball. The heralded Kentucky Wildcats learned this early this season following their loss, at home, to Evansville this past week. The Terrapins need to make sure they don’t overlook the Golden Grizzlies if they want to remain in the top 10 in the polls.

Oakland comes into the game led by two freshman, Daniel Oladapo and Kevin Kangu. Oladapo, a Maryland native himself, is a 6’7” forward leading the team with an average of 13.8 points per game. Kangu, a 6’4” guard, lead the team in assists with 5.5 a game and is second in points with 13.3 per game.

Maryland is led by the inside-out duo of senior guard Anthony Cowan and sophomore power forward Jalen “Stix” Smith. The twosome is backed up by one of Mark Turgeon’s deepest teams ever, including defensive stud Darryl Morsell, sharpshooter Aaron Wiggins, combo guard Eric Ayala, and a highly touted freshman class. The Terps have lofty expectations for this year and will need to play hard and take care of the games they should win to meet them.

While it may not seem like it, every game in the college basketball season is an important one to win. Here’s a look at a few of the keys for Maryland to win their third straight at home.

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