Tomorrow night the University of Maryland Terrapins (Ranked 8th in the USA Today Coaches poll, 13th in the AP poll) travels to Bloomington, to face the Indiana Hoosiers (23rd in both polls).

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

www.iuhoosiers.com

www.iuhoosiers.com

The Terps made this trip in 2009 in the ACC / Big Ten challenge, with MD leaving Assembly Hall with a win. Of course these programs also faced off for the 2001-02 National Championship. Indiana is currently 14-4 overall, and 4-1 in Big Ten play, while Maryland is 17-2 overall, and 5-1 in conference.

The league standings of each team, and this being the first conference game between programs – makes this an interesting game for the Terps.

This is the fifth road game of the year for MD, as the Terps have previously won at Oklahoma State, Michigan State, and at Purdue; while suffering their lone Big Ten loss at Illinois. Indiana is 11-1 at home, having been upset by Eastern Washington in November.

How do the teams compare?

Points Per Game:
Indiana 81.6 (12th Nationally)
Maryland 72.9 (69th Nationally)

FG %:
Indiana .477 (30th Nationally)
Maryland .444(130th Nationally)

Assists Per Game:
Indiana 14.7 (61st Nationally)
Maryland 11.6 (256th Nationally)

Points Allowed:
Indiana 71.4 (297th Nationally)
Maryland 61.4 (61st Nationally)

FG % Defense:
Indiana 43.1 (211th Nationally)
Maryland 37.7 (19th Nationally)

Rebound Margin:
Indiana 3.0 (103rd Nationally)
Maryland 4.6 (58th Nationally)

Turnover Margin:
Indiana -.7 (229th Nationally)
Maryland -.6 (227th Nationally)

Free Throw Attempts:
Indiana 403 (84th Nationally)
Maryland 485 (3rd Nationally)

3 pt FG %:
Indiana 39.1 (33rd Nationally)
Maryland 37.0 (73rd Nationally)

Adjusted Offensive Efficiency:
Indiana 114.9 (13th Nationally)
Maryland 110.2 (35th Nationally)

Adjusted Defensive Efficiency:
Indiana 102.3 (196th Nationally)
Maryland 90.8 (16th Nationally)

Adjusted Tempo:
Indiana 68.8 (39th Nationally)
Maryland 65.2 (182nd Nationally)

Hoosiers to Know:
James Blackmon Jr. – 6’4, 190 lbs, Freshman Guard.  Averaging 16.6 ppg, 5.7 boards. 41% from 3, on 5.9 attempts per game. 88% from the foul line.

Yogi Ferrell – 6’0, 178 lbs, Junior Guard. Averaging 14.9 ppg, 5.0 assists. 89% from the foul line. 38% from 3, on 5.1 attempts per game. Struggling (9.2 ppg) in league play.

Troy Williams – 6’7, 206 lbs, Sophomore Forward. Averaging 13.4 ppg, 6.1 boards. 58% from the floor, on 9.2 FG attempts per.

Best Wins:
#22 SMU, Pittsburgh, #23 Butler, #22 Ohio State

Worst Loss:
Eastern Washington

Overall Thoughts & Prediction:

Indiana’s Head Coach Tom Crean noted earlier this week that Maryland’s size could create match-up issues for the Hooisers. Of the 9 Indiana players who average over 10 minutes per game, the only one 6’9 or above is Hanner Mosquera-Perea. Unfortantely for Indiana, he has recently suffered a knee injury and will be out of action for several more weeks. That means everyone else MD figures to see tomorrow night will be 6’7 and below. MD should be able to exploit that advantage.  Not just with Dodd, but with Layman, Wells, and Trimble driving to the rim (not having to worry about a shot-blocking presence) and earning trips to the foul line.

Overall, you have rosters on both sides which are guard / wing heavy. Should be fun watching those strengths match-up vs. each other. You also have an Indiana team which has played at a higher tempo, and their more efficient offense vs. Maryland’s more efficient defense.

If Indiana buries a lot of 3’s, and Blackmon and Ferrell earn a lot of their own trips to the charity stripe; a Hoosiers win is certainly possible.

Ultimately this a type of team MD should enjoy playing. It can be less of a grind-it-out physical affair, and more of an up-and-down the court game. The last time Maryland scored at-least 80 points was December 2nd, when they had 82 vs. Winthrop. I think that streak ends, and MD leaves Indiana with a quality win over what might be the Big Ten’s 3rd best team.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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