Preview: Maryland preparing for athletic LSU team in second round
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- March Madness is a time where many matchups between contrasting styles of basketball can present themselves. Fresh off of conference play, the NCAA Tournament bracket opens up doors for battles between high-majors and mid-majors, teams that like to run and teams that like to play in the halfcourt, and programs with a national pedigree and those looking to earn more respect.
When the East Region’s No. 6 seed Maryland takes on No. 3 seed LSU in Jacksonville March 23, it will be game between squads with contrasting styles but that still share a lot of similarities. While the Tigers like to sprint up and down the floor, and by comparison the Terps like to crawl when it comes to pace of play, both teams have size and athleticism that they use to their advantage. Both Power Five programs also feature impressive frontcourts at the four and five positions, as well as sub-6-foot point guards that are quick off the dribble, solid perimeter defenders and can score in a number of ways.
Their matchup Saturday afternoon will likely be an entertaining and competitive one, and with just a day to prepare, the Terps are gearing up for perhaps the most athletic team they’ve played all season.
“Got a heck of a challenge tomorrow playing I think the most athletic team in the country, and one through eight, they're really athletic,” Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon said. “Their point guard (Tremont Waters) is terrific, one of the best if not the best in the country because he can score it and he can really pass it. So it's a tough challenge for us, but one that we're looking forward to and happy to be a part of. They're terrific. Got great length. Naz (Reid), we recruited him a little bit. Obviously he's a great player and a great kid, can score a lot of ways. He can also shoot the three, shoots it well. It's a high-level game. It's a high-level game with a lot of talent, and should be a fun game to coach in, a fun game to be a part of.”
LSU, which continues to play under interim head coach Tony Benford as Will Wade remains suspended, will have the advantage of being the older team, but it hasn’t necessarily led to more tournament experience than the Terps, who boast the fourth-youngest roster in the country.
The Tigers ended a postseason losing streak that dated back to 2015 after defeating No. 14 seed Yale Thursday night. Similarly, the Terps produced their first postseason win since 2016 by beating No. 11 seed Belmont and are looking to ride the momentum and confidence they gained from that victory.
“For my young team, seven of our top eight players being freshmen and sophomores, it was not only good to help us have confidence [Saturday] but as those kids grow older and hopefully be a part of more NCAA tournaments down the road,” Turgeon said.
Leading the way for the Tigers this season has been sophomore point guard Tremont Waters, who led LSU with 15.1 points and 6.0 assists per game this season. Waters is coming off of a 15-point, seven-assists performance against Yale and will have an intriguing matchup with Terps junior point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. on Saturday.
Cowan is coming off of a game in which he struggled to score, shooting 3-for-18 from the field and posting just nine points. But Turgeon was still pleased with his floor general’s performance, as Cowan distributed six assists to just one turnover.
“I was proud of Anthony,” Turgeon said. “He had six assists, one turnover, and he did a heck of a job guarding [Grayson Murphy]. It was a heck of a tough match-up, coming off those ball screens all day and having to get over him.The good thing is that Anthony got a lot of wide-open shots. That's the great thing for me as a coach. If he's shooting contested, late shot clock going down over a hand, we probably don't win that game. He got a lot of really good looks. It's really good for us Anthony was 3 for 18. We scored 79 points. That's a good sign for us moving forward. I just hope for him he makes a few shots, but if he doesn't, we'll just have to try to overcome it again.”
Another matchup to watch as the Terps and Tigers square off is the one between the bigs for each team. Maryland sophomore and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award finalist Bruno Fernando has established himself as one of the most dominant post players in the country, and freshman forward Jalen “Stix” Smith is coming off of a 19-point, 12-rebound performance against Belmont. But they’ll be tested Saturday against LSU, which has a productive frontcourt comprised of freshmen Naz Reid and Emmitt Williams, as well as senior Kavell Bigby-Williams, who collectively combined for just under 29 points and 20 rebounds per game this season.
“It's definitely going to be a battle in the paint,” Terps freshman guard Eric Ayala said. “I think our guys are ready for the challenge. I don't think maybe we've faced a team with that kind of interior presence this year. It's going to be a fun being able to see how well our big men match up against theirs, and the best shall prevail in the end.”
Another key for the Terps against the Tigers will be protecting the ball. Turnovers are something Maryland has struggled with at times this season, but the Terps have been better in that area as of late.
LSU is a team that likes to use its length to pressure opposing teams into turnovers and use those to get out in transition and create offense. The Terps are aware of what the Tigers want to do, and after only turning the ball over five times against Belmont, Maryland will be looking to do much of the same on Saturday with a Sweet 16 berth on the line.
“Just continue to do what we're doing,” Morsell said. “Slow down, let the game come to us. We've improved in the double-team in the post. Our guards, we're getting older, we're getting more experience. We have seen pretty much every defense throughout the year, so just with this experience and just improving in the double-team and stuff, that's why I feel like we've found our success, and we've got to continue that.”
Tip-off in Jacksonville between Maryland and LSU is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on CBS.