After four days off following last Saturday’s win over Southwest Minnesota State, Nebraska basketball opens conference play on the road against Maryland.
For the Nebraska basketball team, a win over Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday advanced them one spot in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll to No. 24. James Palmer and Glynn Watson Jr. each scored 16 points, while Issac Copeland Jr. had 12 and Thomas Allen had 10 points. It was a well-balanced game for all members of the team as the scoring came from many different avenues. With the win, their record improved to 11-2.
In their last game on December 29, the Maryland Terrapins beat Radison by a 78-64 score. Sophomore forward Bruno Fernando scored 19 points while sophomore guard Darrell Morsell scored 19 points to help pace the offensive attack for Maryland. That was Morsell’s second game in a row with 19 points. With the win, Maryland improved their record to 10-3 on the season.
In the Kenpom rankings, Nebraska basketball sits at No. 15, while Maryland checks in at No. 31. All things considered, this is a pretty even matchup. Both teams come into the first game of conference play looking to make a statement early. Especially on the road, Nebraska has their work cut out for them. Junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. leads Maryland in scoring with 16.5 points per game. Fernando can rebound the basketball well and he is Maryland’s leading rebounder with 9.6 per game. Freshman forward Jaeln Smith is another player to watch as well. He averages 11.9 points per contest. Maryland is a very balanced team and their 10-3 record reflects that.
Game Info
Game 13: Nebraska at Maryland
When: 6:30 PM EST
Where: XFINITY Center, College Park Maryland
TV: BTN
Stream: BTN 2 Go
Radio: Huskers IMG Radio
Key to the Game
The key to the game for Nebraska here will be making sure that they grab and secure defensive rebounds. Maryland is the top rebound-grabber in the Big Ten conference with 372 rebounds in 13 games. They average 28.6 rebounds per game. Nebraska will have to play a physical brand of basketball on the defensive glass and make sure that they box out their man in order to grab the rebound. Nebraska only holds a 2.5 rebound margin over their opponents this season and they need to make sure that number increases following Wednesday’s game.