After getting back in the win column Tuesday night against La Salle, Maryland (5-2, 0-1 Big Ten) will return to conference play Dec. 25 when the Terps head to Mackey Arena to take on Purdue (6-3, 1-1).
The game against the Boilermakers will mark only the second time ever that the Terps have played on Christmas Day, with its only other Christmas outing coming in an overtime victory over Iowa in 1984 at the Rainbow Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Maryland’s matchup with Purdue Friday afternoon also begins a stretch of four games in 10 days for the Terps — three of which are on the road. But head coach Mark Turgeon is looking at the challenge as an opportunity for his team to bond and grow.
“Tomorrow is Christmas day, obviously. We’re going to be fired up to play. We’re looking forward to the game. Playing on Christmas day is pretty special,” Turgeon said. “And then afterwards we’ll spend some time together. And then a bus ride to Wisconsin the next day. I think it can be a good team-building experience for us over the next four days.”
For many Terps such as starting point guard Eric Ayala, who’s coming off of a career-high 23 points in the win over La Salle, it will be their first time ever playing basketball on Christmas Day.
After growing up watching the NBA in the spotlight on Christmas, Ayala and his teammates are excited to get to play themselves and spread some holiday cheer for Terps fans.
“This is my first time playing on Christmas, I think. So I’m excited for it,” Ayala said. “I’m definitely looking forward to it. Christmas is probably the majority of people’s favorite holiday. It’s a gift-giving holiday and hopefully we can give to the Terps fans a hard-played game, and we’d like to come away with a win.”
In order to deliver Maryland fans’ holiday wish of a victory over the Boilermakers, the Terps will have to deal with Purdue’s massive frontcourt of 6-foot-10, 265-pound junior Trevion Williams and 7-foot-4, 285-pound freshman Zach Edey.
Purdue head coach Matt Painter has had a knack for finding and developing bigs over the years, and he has two at his disposal this season that can take over a game at any time. Between Williams and Edey, the Boilermakers are getting more than 24 points and 13 rebounds per game.
“[Edey] has been terrific,” Turgeon said. “Seven-foot-4, 285 (pounds), and I don’t see a lot of non-muscle on him. I think he’s in pretty good shape. They use him the right way. He keeps the ball high. He ducks in around the rim. And he’s so big, it’s hard to do things with him. So he’s a weapon for them. There’s no doubt about it.
“They play through him and Williams. They’re both good players. They’re different, but they’re both good low-post players. Williams is probably a little bit better passer right now at this stage in their careers. But it’s a tough matchup, really tough matchups for us. Matt [Painter] has always done a good job of getting these really big guys and he’s done a nice job with them.”
In 22 minutes against Maryland last season, Williams had eight points and seven rebounds, but he has taken on a bit of an increased role this year and will be the player the Terps need to game plan around most. But at nearly half a foot taller and with ball skills that already look ahead of schedule, Edey also has the Terps’ attention.
“From watching film, it seems like Williams has stepped into a much bigger role than he played the previous years,” Ayala said. “And just from watching film, their big guys are very talented. Their bigger guy that’s 7-foot-4, Edey, he can move a little bit and finish around the rim. So they have some good size down there and we’re going to have to compete.”
Maryland will also have to be cognizant of the Boilermakers’ guards Eric Hunter and Sasha Stefanovic, who are combining for 24 points and seven assists per game.
After letting La Salle make 14 threes to keep itself in the game earlier this week, the Terps know they must tighten up on defense, especially as the schedule gets much tougher.
“We have to become a deeper team. I think that’s going to be really big for us. We have to get better defensively,” Turgeon said. “We’re getting closer to becoming the team we think we can be. But we’re going to have to play better. We know that. But I think by playing the competition we’re going to play over the next few weeks is going to challenge us to become better quickly.”
Maryland is looking for its first win at Mackey Arena since its inaugural season in the conference in 2015. It will be a different atmosphere this year with a basically empty building because of the pandemic. But Turgeon knows the Boilermakers are talented enough to present major problems even without the backing of their fans.
“I’m sure it will be different. Their crowd is great. Their crowd is always really good so it will be different,” Turgeon said. “It won’t be the usual Mackey place, that’s for sure. But we’re playing against good players and we’re playing against a well-coach team, so we expect Purdue to be a really tough challenge. And I’ve watched them really get better over the last three weeks. They’ve really improved.”
The game between Maryland and Purdue is scheduled to tip off in West Lafayette, Indiana, at 2:30 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on FS1 and broadcast on the Maryland Sports Radio Network.
