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) /

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DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 19: Quinton Rose #1 of the Temple Owls drives to the basket against Nick Muszynski #33 of the Belmont Bruins during the first half in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 19, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

2. Slow Down the Stars

This year, the Temple Owls have been led by two guards, Nate Pierre-Louis and Quinton Rose. Pierre-Louis currently leads the Owls in all major stat categories and has been a leader on the court this year. Rose is just below Pierre-Louis in scoring this year and has been making it rain from deep, shooting 40% on 5 attempts per game. Pierre-Louis and Rose are both averaging over 15 ppg, while no one else on the roster is in double-digits.

Slowing down both Pierre-Louis and Rose will be key for the Terps to beat Temple. Pierre-Louis is not a shooter himself, having made only two threes (15.4%) this season. Maryland will need to keep him out of the paint and do the opposite for Quinton Rose. Not to say that they should let Rose waltz to the hoop, but he is only shooting 32.3% from two. So forcing Rose off the three-point line will be the strategy to slow him down.

Pierre-Louis and Rose will likely be guarded by a combo of Wiggins and defensive-stud Darryl Morsell for the Terps. Wiggins (6’6″) and Morsell (6’5″) each provide good length and defensive switchability for Maryland. The duo leads the Terps in steals and frequently guard the best wing players on the opposing team. Their ability to seamlessly switch on guards should give them a strong advantage in shutting down Pierre-Louis and Rose and forcing other Owls to take over the scoring.

Forcing the Owl’s stars to take tough shots or pass the ball off will be important for the Terps. Behind Pierre-Louis and Rose, the next leading scorer for the Owls is undersized guard Alani Moore with 9.8 ppg. Terps own undersized guard, Anthony Cowan, should match up well with Moore, and probably be relieved to be facing someone his own height. If the Terps are able to shut down Pierre-Louis and Rose the Owls will struggle to score the ball, and Maryland should pull away to win.

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