Opponent: Purdue Boilermakers (6-2)
Location: Xfinity Center, College Park, Maryland
Tipoff Time: 7:00 p.m. EST, Friday, Dec. 1
TV: Big Ten Network — Kevin Kugler and Dan Bonner
Straming: BTN2Go (Free on campus or with a cable subscription)
Radio: 105.7 FM (Baltimore) and ESPN 980 AM (Washington, D.C.) — Johnny Holliday, Chris Knoche and Walt Williams
Student Radio: WMUC Sports — Alex Flum and Liam Beatus
Last Game: Maryland lost to Syracuse 72-70, Purdue beat No. 17 Louisville 66-57
Last Matchup: Feb. 4, 2017 — Purdue 73, Maryland 72
What to watch for Maryland: Zone of shame
The Terps have turned the ball over 60 times in their last three games. The simple reason? They have faced two teams — St. Bonaventure and Syracuse — that played exclusively zone defense. Purdue is not a team that usually comes out in a zone, but Boilermakers coach Matt Painter is a smart man, and if he goes that route, the Terps could be in trouble again.
What to watch for Purdue: Too big to fail
Isaac Haas’ senior year has finally come, which means it’s the last season that the Terps will have to figure how to guard the 7-foot-2, 290-pound beast of human in the post. However, a quick look at the Boilermakers’ roster shows you that Haas’ replacement is already here — 7-foot-3 redshirt freshman Matt Haarms, who is shooting 55.6 percent from the field and also likes to hang out on the perimeter.
Combine Haarms’ shooting with Haas’ 13.8 points per game, and Purdue has maybe the most intimidating front court in the country. It’s time to see what Maryland’s bigs — Michal Cekovsky, Ivan Bender, Bruno Fernando and Sean Obi — can do on the defensive end.
