Travis Scott may have brought Astroworld to town on Tuesday, but Maryland is set to put on the real show in the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday.
After a loss at Michigan on Feb. 16, the Terps bounced back last week with wins over Iowa and Ohio State. Looking to maintain a top seed in the Big Ten tournament, Maryland takes on a Penn State team that’s proven its ability to pull off a major upset.
To get a better look at Wednesday night’s matchup, we reached out to Caleb Wilfinger of The Daily Collegian. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
Maryland and Penn State haven’t met since Dec. 1 at the beginning of conference play. How have the Nittany Lions changed since then?
Penn State has had a rough go of things for most of conference play, but the Nittany Lions have won four of their last six games and are trending in the right direction. They have been involved in at least 15 games decided by 11 points or less, but only recently have started to come out on top in these contests. Overall, this should be another close one, much like the matchup on Dec. 1.
Lamar Stevens has carried Penn State in many games this season. Who else on the team has stepped up this season that the Terps need to keep in check?
Stevens has been one of the best players in the Big Ten all season long. However, the freshmen backcourt duo of Rasir Bolton and Myles Dread have come up large recently. Bolton has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games, and is the second leading scorer on the team at nearly 13 points per game. Dread shoots nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc and made five 3-pointers in Penn State’s defeat of No. 6 Michigan.
Both Maryland and Penn State are among the top rebounding teams in the conference, but Maryland is among the leaders in the nation. How can the Nittany Lions handle the Terps’ dynamic frontcourt?
Obviously Penn State will need to try to do anything to slow down Bruno Fernando. Mike Watkins and John Harrar are likely going to be defending Fernando for most of the night and will have to push the sophomore forward away from the basket as much as possible when Maryland is running its half court sets. I assume that Penn State’s offense will try to draw Fernando out of the paint and toward the perimeter as well.
Maryland and Penn State are in different situations when it comes to potential postseason play. In such a deep Big Ten conference, how much do you see Penn State playing a spoiler role late in this season?
I picked Penn State to finish in the top half of the conference at the start of the season, and the Nittany Lions are clearly a talented side. I think they can potentially win two games in the Big Ten tournament and potentially harm a team’s NCAA tournament chances and/or potential high seeding in the Big Dance. I could see a semifinal appearance, or they could lose in the opening game. Anything is possible with this team.
Finish this sentence. Penn State wins if…
…it can limit the damage on the glass, especially Maryland’s second-chance opportunities. Also, they’ll need the supporting cast to aid Stevens on the offensive end.
Maryland wins if…
…it can get Watkins/Harrar in foul trouble early and make Penn State go small against its stout frontcourt. The Terps will need Anthony Cowan to shoot his way out of a recent slump as well to pick up a road victory.
