Maryland vs. Saint Peters: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Sean Cole
Maryland looks to start 4-0 on the season as they take on Saint Peter’s of the MAAC.
Teams: Maryland (3-0) vs. Saint Peter’s (2-1)
TV schedule: Friday, December 4, 2020, 3:00 PM ET Big Ten Network
Arena: XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland
It looks as though the Terp’s are playing against an opponent that they just can’t seem to beat, which is Covid-19. This past week has seen the pandemic get the best of the Terp’s, as the scheduled games on 12/1 with Monmouth and Towson were canceled because of Co-Vid 19 concerns. Maryland (3-0) were scheduled to play George Mason Friday 12/4 in College Park, but this game was also canceled due to a positive Covid-19 test.
So, Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon, knew it would be imperative that they find an opponent willing to come to College Park, as the last game they played was last Sunday in a win against Mount St. Mary’s (79-61). And so, the call was answered as the Terp’s will host the St. Peters Peacocks from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
Friday’s matchup between the Terp’s and Peacocks is the third-ever meeting between the two schools with the Terp’s winning the last matchup back in December 2016 with a score of 66-56.
St. Peters Head Coach Shaheen Holloway brings his St. Peters (2-1) team to College Park on a two-game winning streak. After losing the season opener to St. Johns 75-76, the Peacocks rallied for wins against LaSalle (62-51) and Stoney Brook (82-68).
St. Peters is led by 6-7 sophomore wingman Fousseyni Drame, who was last week’s MAAC Player of the Week. In the Peacocks’ first two contests Drame averaged 15.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and also had four steals. It was his first time as MAAC Player of the Week as a sophomore and last year as a freshman was named Freshmen of the Week a league-leading three times.
Terp Nuggets:
– In this week’s AP Top 25 poll the Terp’s received nine votes.
– Since the start of the 2017 – 2018 season Maryland has a record of 49-7 at the Xfinity Center, which tops the Big 10.
– Maryland opens as one of the hottest shooting teams in not only the Big 10, but in the country, as the Terp’s are shooting 57.2% in field goal percentage, which ranks them eighth in the country and tops in the Big 10.
– Junior guard Eric Ayala is off to a great season to the 2020 season as Ayala ranks third in the Big 10 in three-point shooting percentage (.571) and third in field goal percentage (.720).
– The scoring has been spread out throughout the season with four players reaching double figures in all three games, five players in the last two games played and through the first three games, seven players have scored in double figures.
It will be interesting to see if the Terp’s have any rust after several days off because of the pandemic and the cancellation of games. Defensively, the Terp’s need to continue their pressure defense and to play solid on the defensive end of the floor.
One of the biggest surprises is the scoring, but it is not just the scoring it is the way the Terp’s are spreading the scoring around, with balanced scoring and everyone getting in on the action. Three games in and it look as though the Terp’s have a game plan on how they want to play every game.
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One of the players I thought would have to step up in order for the Terp’s to succeed was junior guard Eric Ayala. If Ayala continues to play at the level that he is playing at now, making good decisions and shooting the ball well, and if the Terp’s continue to play defense. This Terp’s team will not only be tough to handle in conference play but could be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.