When & Where: March 23, 2025 | 7:10 PM ET (4:10 PM PT) | Climate Pledge Arena
TV: TBS | Lisa Byington, Robbie Hummel, Jalen Rose, Andy Katz
Radio: One Maryland App | 105.7 FM (Baltimore) | 980 AM (DC) | SiriusXM channel 204/211
Betting: Maryland -7.5 | O/U: 142.5
Maryland’s March Madness run continues Sunday evening in Seattle with a Round of 32 battle against Colorado State, with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line for both the Terrapins and the Rams.
Maryland came into the dance as the number four seed while the Rams entered as the number 12 seed and got their spot in the second round after an upset victory over the number five seed Memphis Tigers. Head Coach Niko Medved watched his squad takeover in the second half against the Tigers, outscoring Memphis 47-34 in response to a five-point deficit at the half.
Medved has led the Rams to a 26-9 and a Mountain West Conference Championship for the program’s first time since 2003. They are one of two Mountain West teams who are still alive, along with New Mexico State, of the original four that earned a bid. Utah State lost to UCLA in the Round of 64, and San Diego lost their First Four matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels who got what many consider an unqualified tournament bid.
Unlink Grand Canyon, which Maryland handled with ease on Friday to advance, Colorado State poses a big threat shooting the basketball. They led the Mountain West as a team shooting 36.6% from the three-point line, and finished second to only Utah State in field goal percentage.
The scoring comes in many forms with three players averaging double-digits, between Nique Clifford, Jalen Lake, and Kyan Evans. All three finished with ten or more points against Memphis, but Evans was a one-man wrecking machine with a game-high 23 points and six made threes. Clifford struggled from the field in the 14-point performance with a 3/13 shooting clip and a goose egg from beyond the arc on six attempts.
The Rams' perimeter defense was also instrumental in the upset win in round one of the tournament, holding Memphis to a 26% hit rate from beyond the arc, including Tigers star and Second-Team AP All-American PJ Haggarty one three on six tries, and a disappointing 6/23 performance in total.
Meanwhile, there’s not much to complain about from round one for Kevin Willard and Terps Nation.
Even with all the drama stemming from former Athletic Director Damon Evans’ departure to SMU and the rumors surrounding Willard and Villanova, Maryland bounced the Lopes from the dance with the largest point margin of victory for a Maryland team ever in March Madness, at 32.
The Terps did, however, struggle mightily from the line with a 50% performance on 24 attempts, which has to be an immediate fix for a deep March Madness run. Four of the five Crab Five members scored in double-digits with Rodney Rice being the lone man who didn’t with nine points to his name.
Beyond a better charity stripe performance, Maryland must impose their will on the boards. Although they won the rebounding battle against Grand Canyon, much of that can be attributed to their Lopes' troubles shooting the basketball. Specifically, the Terps have to limit second chances for the Rams by way of offensive rebounds. Maryland and Grand Canyon both finished with 13 offensive rebounds each.
The road to San Antonio continues with another Seattle pitstop, and this time the Rams will be at the stop to greet Willard and company. The winner of this matchup will then go on to face the winner of #1 seed Florida and #8 seed UConn in the Sweet 16.
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