Maryland Basketball: 2019-20 keys for Terps to defeat Notre Dame
Maryland Basketball now faces Notre Dame in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge after beating the Marquette Golden Eagles to win the Orlando Invitational. Here are keys to the matchup Wednesday at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN.
Maryland basketball (8-0) is off to another hot start as non-conference play is in full swing. The Terps knew that they needed to shut down Marquette’s Markus Howard in the Orlando Invitational championship game. Darryl Morsell and Aaron Wiggins were switched on him at times and did an outstanding job of not allowing his presence to be felt. Howard finished the game with only six points, four assists and two rebounds. His counterpart, Anthony Cowan Jr., took home the tournament’s MVP award.
This was a complete game by the Terps on both ends of the floor. It had been widely discussed how bad their start was against Harvard. In addition to that, they could not afford to have a deficit going into halftime against Marquette. If that was the case, and Howard was firing on all cylinders, the Golden Eagles would have been the ones celebrating Sunday afternoon.
Last year in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge Maryland faced a Virginia Cavaliers team that was No. 4 in the nation, loaded with talent and well-coached. They only lost that game by five, 76-71. That loss could be considered a good one because it could have been a lot worse. The Terps held their own against a three-headed monster in Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and De’Andre Hunter.
Now they face a Notre Dame team that comes into this game at 6-1. The Fighting Irish are led by forwarding John Mooney and guards T.J. Gibbs and Dane Goodwin. All three players average double figures in points and Mooney averages a double-double in points and rebounds.
The third-ranked Terps look to get their ninth win in a row before their first Big Ten matchup against Illinois. The Fighting Irish look to avoid a second loss, their first against a ranked opponent this season.