Team: No. 13-seed Hawaii
Round: Round of 32
Arena: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
Tip-off: 7:10 p.m.
Broadcast: TBS
Momentum: The No. 5-seed Terps let No. 12-seed South Dakota State cut an 18-point lead to two with 1:03 left Friday, but they held on to extend their season at least two more days. The Terps are 4-5 in their past nine games. Hawaii, meanwhile, is coming off a 77-66 upset win over No. 4-seed California. The Rainbow Warriors won the Big West Tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Two Terps to watch
Forward Jake Layman has been red-hot shooting the ball over the past nine games. The senior has shot 60.3 percent in that stretch and he’s been especially lethal from beyond the arc. Layman’s made at least one 3-pointer in the past nine games and has gone 25-for-41 (61 percent) from deep in those contests. He’ll look to build on his performance from the first round when he tied his career high with 27 points.
Center Diamond Stone was limited to 22 minutes in his first career NCAA Tournament game as he battled foul trouble. He finished with just four points, but coach Mark Turgeon commended the freshman for his defense. Stone will have another tough test on that end of the floor against 6-foot-11 Hawaii forward Stefan Jankovic, who leads the Rainbow Warriors with 15.7 points per game.
Two Rainbow Warriors to watch
Forward Stefan Jankovic is similar to South Dakota State forward Mike Daum, who the Terps battled in the first-round game. The junior can step outside and shoot — he’s made 30 3-pointers this season — but he’s also a force down low. At 15.7 points per game, the Terps big men will have their hands full with Jankovic.
Guard Roderick Bobbitt poured in 17 points and added a team-high four assists in the Rainbow Warriors’ upset over California on Friday. The 6-foot-3 senior averages 13.4 points per game, third best on the team. The team’s leading three-point shooter went just 1-for-8 from deep Friday, but if he catches fire from beyond the arc it could cause problems for the Terps.
On the record:
Terps forward Damonte Dodd: “They have a lot of shooters. And they are sneaky transition and all five guys, they really hit the glass hard. It’s kind of like [South Dakota State].
Layman: “Hawaii, [Friday], was playing with nothing to lose. So they played harder, played with more intensity. So I think [Sunday] we can’t let them play harder than us. We need to play our style of game and play at our tempo.”
Predictions:
Phillip Suitts: Terps 78, Hawaii 69. The team survives another late-game comeback.
Josh Needelman: Terps 73, Hawaii 67. Coach Mark Turgeon’s team team does just enough to end Hawaii’s run and advance to a daunting bout with No. 1-seed Kansas.
Ryan Baillargeon: Terps 79, Hawaii 73. The Terps advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003 in a thriller.
For updates: Follow beat writer Ryan Baillargeon (@RyanBaillargeon), columnist Joshua Needelman (@JoshNeedelman) and DBK Sports (@DBKSports) on Twitter for live in-game news and commentary.