Opponent: UMBC Retrievers (8-5)
Location: Xfinity Center, College Park, Maryland
Tipoff date/time: Friday, Dec. 29, 8 p.m. EST
Last game: Maryland beat Fairleigh Dickinson 75-50, UMBC beat Northern Kentucky 76-75
Last meeting: Maryland won 106-60 in 2002
TV: FS1 — Justin Kutcher (play-by-play) and Tarik Turner (analyst)
Streaming: foxsportsgo.com
Radio: 105.7 FM (Baltimore) and 980 AM (DC) — Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Chris Knoche (analyst) and Walt Williams (analyst)
Spread: Maryland -17.5 (via Odds Shark)
What to watch for Maryland: Life after Justin Jackson
With Justin Jackson now out for the season with a torn labrum, the Terps will need to figure out what to do without a player who averaged 29.4 minutes per game this season. The game against UMBC will be the first chance to see how Mark Turgeon changes his rotations knowing that Maryland will have to replace the talented sophomore for the rest of the season.
What to watch for UMBC: Live by the three, die by the three
UMBC is 251st nationally in free-throw percentage and 322nd when it comes to making two-pointers. However, the squad is also fifth in three-point percentage, shooting at a 43.1 percent clip on threes. The Retrievers are one of the best teams in the country when it comes to knocking down shots from deep, while being pretty underwhelming when shooting inside the arc or at the line.
Nearly half of the Retrievers’ field goal attempts are threes, so they’re not afraid to try to use their elite perimeter shooting as much as they can. If Maryland can limit UMBC’s three-point shooting, the Retrievers really do not have a plan B.
