During a two-minute span late in the second half Thursday, forward Jalen Smith began to exercise his will on Belmont, pushing Maryland men’s basketball to its comeback win.

After a missed 3-pointer with seven minutes to play, Smith wrestled the ball out of forward Dylan Windler’s arms and finished through 6-foot-11 center Nick Muszynski. Smith then beat three Bruins defenders to the next board before completing a lay-in. And finally, with five minutes remaining, Smith reached over the 6-foot-4 guard attempting to box him out for a tip-in.

Smith and forward Bruno Fernando — the Terps’ imposing frontcourt tandem — have caused matchup nightmares for opponents all year, and took advantage of their mismatches against the Bruins.

But in the second round of the NCAA tournament Saturday, the 6-foot-10 duo likely won’t be able to bully their way through LSU, which boasts a formidable two-big lineup of its own and offers a different look than the ones the Terps have seen previously.

“Our guys are ready for the challenge,” guard Eric Ayala said. “I don’t think maybe we’ve faced a team with that kind of interior presence this year. It’s going to be fun being able to see how well our big men match up against theirs, and the best shall prevail.”

[Read more: With 18 points against Belmont, Darryl Morsell showed he can bring more than defense]

With 6-foot-10 Naz Reid and 6-foot-11 Kavell Bigby-Williams both in the starting lineup, LSU is one of a select few teams in the country that can compete with Smith and Fernando’s size.

The Terps rank seventh in the country in rebounding margin, but the Tigers will be the second-best rebounding team Maryland has played, ranking No. 31 in rebounding margin.

After a puzzling performance on the boards in the Big Ten tournament loss to Nebraska, the Terps got back on track against Belmont, hauling in 15 offensive boards — including eight from Smith, a frequent byproduct of teams choosing to double-team Fernando — en route to 41 total.

[Read more: After Maryland basketball’s win over Belmont, Mark Turgeon can breathe easier]

Reid and Bigby-Williams are likely to put up more resistance. Each recorded a double-double in the Tigers’ first-round win over Yale, and they can create for themselves on the offensive end — especially Reid, who’s averaging 13.8 points per game along with 7.3 rebounds.

“They have a lot of similarities with us,” Fernando said. “Just how long and athletic they are, how physical they play, and how their inside presence really demands a lot and how much they go inside and try to play through their bigs. It’s kind of the same thing for us.”

As guard Anthony Cowan struggled his way to nine points on 3-for-18 shooting, Fernando and Smith carried much of the load. The duo combined for 33 points and 25 rebounds. While Tigers guards Tremont Waters and Skylar Mays had no such troubles in their first game in VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, their big men still had 24 points and 20 rebounds.

And while Smith’s two-handed dunk over Windler late in Thursday’s win lit up social media, Reid had a thunderous slam of his own — running the floor, Reid caught a pass and finished with a one-handed flush in transition.

“They have two big guys like we do and they are strong, physical and get after it,” Reid said. “I can’t think of anyone we’ve played this year like them. They play a different style of game. They play like us, actually. They are physical in the post and their bigs help them a lot.”

Most opponents this year have elected to double-team Fernando, but the Angolan has almost always found ways through the additional defenders or passing lanes to open teammates.

LSU hasn’t made a habit of double-teaming in the post, though. Against Alabama and Mississippi State — two teams Bigby-Williams remembers as physical challenges — the Tigers largely played straight-up, with occassional help-side defense from guards to disrupt dribbles.

“I can’t tell you what we’re going to do,” forward Emmitt Williams said. “We’ve got a great plan and we know what we have to do to get the win.”

No matter what the Tigers’ exact gameplan is, it was crafted with a main focus of limiting Fernando and Smith, and the battle down low will play a significant role in which team advances to the Sweet 16 in Washington D.C.

“I think it’s very simple,” LSU interim coach Tony Benford said, “it’s going to be who wins the paint and who wins the rebounding battle.”