Lions travel to College Park to take on new B1G foe
Coming off a heartbreaking loss on a last second layup in Champaign, Ill. this past Saturday, the Penn State men’s basketball (14-8, 2-7 B1G) team looks to rebound Wednesday on the road against the No. 17 ranked Maryland Terrapins (18-4, 6-3 B1G).
The Terps have struggled as of late, dropping two of their last three games to Big Ten teams in key matchups and barely pulled out a one-point victory against a mediocre Northwestern (10-10, 1-6 B1G) team.
Maryland dropped two big games to Indiana and Ohio State, losing both games by at least 19 points. They went from No. 13 to No. 17 in that three game sequence.
The Terrapins spread the ball out well rotating between three main shooters. Freshman Melo Trimble, junior Jake Layman and senior Dez Wells are all averaging over 13 points per game with a combined field goal percentage of over 40 percent.
On the defensive side of the ball, Layman leads the team in rebounding, averaging 5.4 per game for a team that is ranked No. 23 in defensive rebounds. Despite their rebounding success, the Terps are ranked No. 110 in points allowed.
Penn State differs from Maryland in terms of spreading the ball around. Since the beginning of the season, Penn State has been all about the D.J. Newbill show. Averaging 21.5 points per game, Newbill is currently averaging over 11 points more per game than the second leading scorer on the Nittany Lions, Brandon Taylor.
While Newbill provides an explosive presence for Penn State, the Nittany Lions are still ranked No. 127 in the nation in points per game, mainly due to the lack of production from Newbill’s supporting cast.
Looking at the defense, Penn State has been average at best giving up about 66.2 points per game, No. 170 in the nation. Ross Travis and Brandon Taylor have done an adequate job rebounding, although they are significantly smaller than some of the B1G’s top defensive big men. The lack of defense continues to hurt the Lions as they have sustained a trend of close games down the stretch that dates back to the beginning of the season.
Going into the matchup with Penn State, it would appear as if the Terrapins have the upper hand. Despite their four losses, three of which at the hands of teams who have been ranked this season and the other being the Illinois team that edged out PSU last Saturday, Maryland has done a great job all season of putting teams away down the stretch.
If Penn State’s close game mindset carries into Wednesday’s matchup, they will struggle to put the game away against a powerful Maryland team. In order for them to pull off the upset, PSU needs to get the supporting cast involved. If they can take some of the pressure off of Newbill’s shoulders and get out to a strong start early, Penn State could take advantage of Maryland’s recent struggles.
If Trimble can bounce back after missing all eight shots in Maryland’s last contest against Ohio State and Layman and Wells can maintain their average production along with good defense, the Terps should be able to hold off Penn State. As long as they hold Newbill in check, Maryland definitely has the advantage at home.
Wednesday’s tipoff in College Park, Maryland is set for 8:30 p.m. and can be heard live on ComRadio. Coverage begins at 8 with the Penn State Basketball Pregame Show hosted by Matt Lawrence.
Mike D’Avella is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mfd156@psu.edu.
