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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LINCOLN, NE – FEBRUARY 6: Jalen Smith #25 of the Maryland Terrapins celebrates a three point basket against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena on February 6, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

3. Rebounding

This one is a little less obvious. Maryland has a ton of big men on their roster and Temple is a smaller school without a lot of tall guys. You would think that Maryland should dominate on the glass. And in theory, they definitely should. But, Temple has been a deceptively strong rebounding team this year.

In their most recent win against USC, the Owls outrebounded a much larger Trojans squad, 42-38. USC had averaged 14.6 offensive rebounds per game but only grabbed 6 against the Owls. On the whole, Temple has not been great rebounding this year. They are currently 280th in the nation in total rebounds, though they are 110th in opponent’s total rebounds. The strong rebounding game against a much bigger team may have been a one time fluke for the Owls. But no team should be overlooked.

Maryland certainly has the size and frontcourt depth to dominate on the boards against Temple. In addition to Stix Smith, the Mitchell twins and Ricky Lindo make up a long and talented frontcourt for the Terps. The Owl’s leading rebounder is the 6’4″ Nate Pierre Louis with 10.8 rpg (8.5 defensive rebounds per game). The next leading rebounder is 6’7″ JP Moorman with 6 rpg. Stix, Makhi and Makhel Mitchell, and Lindo are all taller than Moorman. The Terps will need to take advantage of their size and dominate on the glass to assure a solid victory.

Next. Top 25 power rankings. dark

Overall, Maryland should do quite well against the Owls. The Terps have superior size, talent, and depth, and are the 5th ranked team in the nation for a reason. If the Terps are able to hit their threes, slow down the Temple stars, and dominate on the glass, they should be able to pull out a solid win. Temple will put up a strong fight and be a good test for Maryland, but as long as the Terps stay focused and play their game they should get the win.

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