Maryland men’s basketball will look to remain perfect at Xfinity Center in conference play when they host USC on Thursday night in the first matchup between the new Big Ten foes on the hardwood in 35 years.
With a chance for Maryland to move to 4-1 in Quad Two games this season, the BTN analyst and former Illinois guard Trent Meacham previewed tonight’s game while noting the dominance of the Terps’ starting five.
“95 points for the starting lineup against Iowa. That back court, they hit 12 threes. So Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 26 points that game, seven assists, three steals. He is really their engine. He's got such great speed and he can do it from deep, but also when he gets in the lane, then it’s just opening things up for the team. But [Rodney] Rice shoots it at a high clip, the high 30s. [Selton] Miguel is almost mid-40s from three. So those three guys are so dangerous from the perimeter. And Gillespie [is] playing at a really high level. Their coach is talking about him as the best point guard in the league. He definitely looks like that on some nights. So a very talented team and we haven't even talked about Derik Queen and Julian Reese. You have the experienced veteran who's been there, done that, and then the young guy in Derik Queen – he's been lights out recently. Almost 24 points, 13 rebounds the last three. Such a talented team and defensively, all those guys are quick and can move their feet, and that's what makes them so dangerous.”
Meanwhile, one day after official merch dropped to support the ‘Crab Five’, the new nickname for Maryland’s starting five, its three transfer portal additions to reload the unit were all recognized by ESPN as they highlighted the nation’s best additions across the country.
Tabbing him as a more efficient player for Maryland after becoming “one of the most effective shooters in the country” last season at Belmont, Ja’Kobi Gillespie was named the seventh-best transfer across college basketball and the third-best in the Big Ten behind John Tonje (Wisconsin) and Danny Wolf (Michigan).
One of the biggest questions for Maryland heading into the season was whether Ja’Kobi Gillespie could make the jump from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Big Ten. While he leads the team in plus-minus (+366), Gillespie has also proven to be instant offense for Maryland, shooting over 41% from three and 47% from the field in addition to five 20-point games, scoring in double-figures in all but five games while averaging a team-high 4.8 assists.
Gillespie wasn’t alone with both Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel among the ‘Under-the-Radar additions to top-25 teams’, noting Rice's 18-point average over the last six games with Miguel scoring 17 points in each of his last three games. Both Rice and Miguel have also made three or more threes in four of their last six games.
USC guard Desmond Claude, who Maryland will look to limit tonight, was also mentioned among the ‘Rest of the Best’ as he enters Thursday’s matchup averaging a team-high 16 points.
Days after climbing in the AP poll to sneak back into the top 20, ESPN ranked Maryland 21st in their daily power rankings.
ESPN: “While other teams are still chopping and changing their lineups and rotation down the stretch, it doesn't get more consistent than Maryland. The Terrapins have started the same five in each of the past 22 games, and they're using their bench less and less as the season progresses. In the past month, a reserve has played more than 12 minutes just five times. Kevin Willard's starting five, however, is elite. Derik Queen and Julian Reese are a dominant inside pair, Ja'Kobi Gillespie is playing terrific basketball at the point guard spot, and Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel are operating at an incredibly high level. Miguel has scored exactly 17 points in three straight games, while Rice is averaging 18.0 points in the past six.”
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