Who: No. 6-seed Maryland Terrapins (24-8, 12-6 in Big Ten) vs. No. 11-seed Xavier Musketeers (21-13, 9-9 in Big East)
When: Thursday, March 16, 6:50 p.m. (approximately)
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Channel: TNT
Stream: NCAA March Madness Live
Pseudo-name: The Dez Wells Bowl (since Wells played college ball at both schools)
Maryland fell to Northwestern 72-64 after going cold late in the second half during the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. It was a disappointing showing for the Terps, who came into that tournament as the 3-seed and were expected to make some noise in front of a home crowd.
Xavier struggled this year after losing star point guard Edmond Sumner to a torn ACL. The Musketeers went 6-7 following his injury, including a six-game losing streak that spanned for nearly a month. They have since recovered and beat No. 18 Butler in the Big East tournament.
What to watch for on Maryland’s side:
Maryland has to play fearlessly. Melo Trimble admitted the Terps needed more urgency against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament. Toward the end of the season, Maryland lacked the intensity needed to play opponents who did not have as much skill as the Terps (e.g. Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State).
Maryland also needs a better scoring display from freshman Justin Jackson. In his last eight games, he has scored in double-digits just twice. If he can recapture his three-point magic from earlier in the year, Jackson would give the Terps an edge.
What to watch for on Xavier’s side:
Trevon Bluiett is an absolute beast. The junior has increased his scoring in each season at Xavier, and is now averaging 18.1 points per contest. The 6-foot-6 guard is a threat on the glass and beyond the arc, averaging nearly six rebounds per game while shooting 36.6 percent on three-pointers. Don’t let those numbers fool you — he is a streaky shooter, but once he gets going, he is very hard to stop. Against Cincinnati in January, he exploded for 40 points and shot 9-for-11 from deep.
