Maryland Basketball: 2019-20 Keys for Terrapins to beat Temple

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) /

1 of 4

COLLEGE PARK, MD – MARCH 03: Jalen Smith #25 of the Maryland Terrapins drives to the basket through Ignas Brazdeikis #13 and Jordan Poole #2 of the Michigan Wolverines in the second half during a college basketball game against the Michigan Wolverines at the XFinity Center on March 3, 2019 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Maryland Basketball faces the Temple Owls in what will be their toughest test yet in the early season. What are the keys for them to pull out the victory?

An undefeated ranked Maryland Basketball team will face the Temple Owls for the second time in 2019. The first game was played on a football field and featured the Owls pulling out a huge upset to derail the Terrapin’s season. Sorry for bringing that up Terps fans, but Maryland is a basketball school anyways.

The Terps will face Temple on Thanksgiving in the first game of the Orlando Invitational early-season tournament. The Owls (Kenpom: 88) will be the toughest test of the young season for 5th ranked Maryland. The Terps will also be playing in their first game outside of College Park. This matchup with Temple will provide a good test for the Terps who have yet to really be challenged yet this year. Without too many opportunities for big wins in their non-conference schedule, the Terps will need to make this game, and the whole Orlando Invitational, count.

Temple comes into this game against the Terps undefeated themselves, coming off a strong road win over a respectable USC squad (Kenpom: 60). The Owls are an experienced team who do a good job taking care of the ball, having only turned it over 40 times, good for 5th in the nation. They also like to force turnovers, totaling 45 steals on the season.

Maryland will need a strong game against the Owls to remain in the win column. The Terps have the size, talent, and depth to handle Temple but will need to be smart and not beat themselves to make sure they keep the undefeated season going. The Terp’s stars Jalen “Stix” Smith and Anthony Cowan will need to be the focus of the game and set the example for their team, which has started slow at times this year.

The winner of this matchup will go on to face the winner of Texas A&M vs. Harvard, while the losers will face in the consolation bracket. If the Terrapins keep winning, they will potentially face a talented Marquette squad led by star Markus Howard in the Orlando Invitational Championship. Lets look at the keys for the Terrapins to defeat the Owls.

Home/Maryland Terrapins