Mini Deep Dive Thread for Maryland

Gameday Poster courtesy of AlabamaMBB

The Terrapins are coached in their first season by Buzz Williams, who made the move this past season from Texas A&M. They will look to try and get back to the Sweet 16, where they were last season. They are coming off a 39-point loss to Gonzaga yesterday and sit at 5-2 this season.

Buzz is known for having teams that are solid defensively and rebounding. This one is decent at both but is not quite as dominant as they have been in years past. The only elite quality of this team is their ability to get to the free-throw line, where they are 8th.

Offensively, they have had quite a few issues with turnovers and having shots blocked as well as just being super inefficient from the floor. Maryland is an okay offensive rebounding team, but has not been quite as dominant as his teams were at A&M. One place they are different is that they have taken more shots from 3 in years past, even though they are just over 31% as a team.

Defensively, they have done a good job at forcing turnovers, but they have struggled running teams off the 3pt line or preventing assists. This is caused by the zone defense Buzz likes to run. Alabama should have open looks from deep, and whether or not they can make them will be the difference in this game. Additionally, they have not done a good job keeping teams off the offensive glass, which is a place Alabama may be able to have some success.

My player to watch is Houston Mallette. Houston opened the game against UNLV 0-4 from 3 but was able to settle in and then go 4-8. He is an elite 3pt shooter and does a great job finding his shot and spot in the zone coverage. I believe Houston should have plenty of open 3s in this one with the type of defense I expect Maryland to run.

Alabama was able to bounce back last night after a rough rebounding night and loss against a great Gonzaga team. Nate Oats has faced Buzz Williams quite a few times and knows the offense and what to expect against his teams. Additionally, Maryland has struggled to turn the ball over on offense and has given up open 3s on defense. I think Alabama is able to end off Vegas with another solid win.

Prediction: Alabama 92 - Maryland 75