Maryland men’s basketball remains a double-digit favorite vs. 13th-seed Grand Canyon on Friday, with tipoff set for 4:35 PM EST with Robbie Hummel, Jalen Rose, Andy Katz and Mark Byington on the call. After head coach Kevin Willard and the players recapped the second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons on Sunday night, we take a look at what Grand Canyon said about Maryland plus how outlets view the Terps heading into their postseason run:
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon HC Bryce Drew: “Whoever we play, we know they're going to be really good. Maryland statistically is even better than what their seed is. Top 10 in the country in defense, top 30 in offense and a really good team. They have a lottery pick [Derik Queen], and they have one of the best point guards in the country [Ja'Kobi Gillespie]. They have a lot of really good pieces, and obviously that shows in how good they've been all year.”
Drew: “We thought Arizona was going to be a likely opponent just because of West Coast and them being a 4 (seed)," Drew said. "Having Maryland go all the way out to the West Coast is interesting how that came to be. We're really happy to be on the West Coast, where it feels like home.”
G Collin Moore: “We're locked in for sure and ready to fight Friday. We're more mature now. It's just going out there playing basketball and competing, and I feel like we can compete with anybody.”
Outlets
CBS Sports: The Terps are good enough to get to San Antonio. This team had four losses total in the past two months & and all of them came on game-winning shots in the final 10 seconds. Maryland's "Crab Five" centers around dazzling freshman Derik Queen (16.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg). He's a crafty, must-see player who easily ranks among the five best frosh in college hoops. Terps vet Julian Reese helps Queen hold down the frontcourt with guards Ja'Kobi Gillespie (14.7 ppg), Rodney Rice (13.9) and Selton Miguel (12.0 ppg) rounding out one of the most reliable quintets you'll see in this tournament. Kevin Willard's group is among the strongest on defense you'll find; I think the Terps are underrated in this regard. This is Maryland's best seed in a decade, and I can't wait to watch them play.
FOX Sports: Derik Queen, center, Maryland: A five-star prospect and the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, Queen became the second-best signee in Maryland history when the Baltimore native chose to stay home and play for the Terrapins. He has enjoyed a tremendous true freshman season and enters the NCAA Tournament leading Maryland in scoring at 16.3 points per game and tied for the team lead in rebounds with nine per game. Most draft experts project him as a lottery pick later this year.
ESPN: If you're looking for a Final Four sleeper, you've found one. Freshman Derik Queen (15.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG), a projected lottery draft pick with an old-school game, and Julian Reese (13.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG), the brother of WNBA standout Angel Reese, lead a team that won 11 of 13 games to end the regular season. The Terps also went 39% from 3 in that stretch. They're a strong squad that found a rhythm late, which isn't unusual when you consider they were starting a true freshman and three transfers. If point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie can limit his turnovers, he can help the team with the ninth-best adjusted defensive efficiency make its first Final Four appearance since 2002, the year the Terps also won their first and only national championship.
The Athletic:
Strengths: Brawn and balance best sum up the CrabFive’s scoring abilities. Derik Queen and Julian Reese are interior bruisers who comprise arguably one of the best frontcourts in the country. The dynamic duo is an absolute load to contain. They’re highly active on the glass, execute efficiently in the back-down game and often rock rims with thunderous duns. Maryland’s mashers are flanked by sharpshooters Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel, a trio who greatly elevated their games down the regular-season homestretch. Over the Terps’ final 10 pre-tourney games, they converted a sensational 38% from distance. Also dedicated defenders, they enter the Dance ranked top 25 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Weaknesses: Whether examining Maryland’s advanced metrics at KenPom or BartTorvik, the prominent color highlights are green, green and more green. On paper, the Terrapins show few, if any, glaring weaknesses. One nitpick would be their depth. At No. 303 in bench minutes, according to KenPom, they must avoid foul trouble. Interestingly, despite the stellar play of Queen and Reese, they ranked only 15th in the Big Ten regular season in two-point percentage offense. They also slotted near the bottom of the league in assists-to-field goals made. Again, considering they have only three losses since early January, there isn’t much to fuss about.
Outlook: Thought to be competitive, though not a Big Ten contender, in the preseason, Maryland has exceeded expectations. It enters the postseason sizzling on all fronts. Its execution throughout February and early March was generally clean and highly efficient across the board. As someone who holds a betting slip for the Terps to visit the Alamo and the Final Four at +1300, I don’t need to be convinced of their potential. Kevin Willard has the warriors to cash this wagering enthusiast’s ticket, and presumably Scott Van Pelt’s. They unquestionably have the goods to blood non-believers’ brackets.
Related Links
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube