Purdue Basketball Game 20 Preview: Maryland

Third-ranked Purdue looks to maintain its cushion atop the Big Ten standings during its first meeting this season with Maryland and its first meeting ever with new Terrapins coach Kevin Willard, formerly of Seton Hall. Here’s our comprehensive preview of the Sunday afternoon meeting between the two teams.

Where: Mackey Arena

When: Sunday, Jan. 22, 1 p.m. ET

TV: FS1

Radio: Purdue Sports Network (WAZY locally)

In-game updates: GoldandBlack.com | Twitter @brianneubert

ABOUT THE TEAMS

Purdue: Roster | Schedule | Stats

Maryland: Roster | Schedule | Stats

NUMBERS AND SUCH

Team	AP	Coaches	NET	KenPom	KenPom Win%
Purdue	3	3	4	5	83%
Maryland	—	—	46	43	17%

ON PURDUE (18-1, 7-1 B1G)

• The Boilermakers are off to the greatest start in school history, as this week’s 61-39 win at Minnesota ran Purdue’s record to 18-1.

• During a season full of surprises, here’s another: Thanks to the 39-point defensive outing at Minnesota, Purdue now leads the Big Ten in scoring defense in league games, at just 60.8 points allowed per game.

PROJECTED PURDUE LINEUPS

Starters

Center — 15 Zach Edey (7-4, 290, Junior)

There’s still a lot of season left to play, but Edey’s the clear front-runner for National Player-of-the-Year right now, and there’s not a lot of reason to believe he won’t play the second half of the season at the same level he played the first. He’s been awesome at both ends of the floor. And he hasn’t been called for a foul in either of the past two games.

Forward— 1 Caleb Furst (6-10, 230, Sophomore)

Furst was excellent at Minnesota even after the game was clearly a laugher. He has definitely established himself this season as a good fit playing alongside Zach Edey.

Guard — 3 Braden Smith (6-0, 180, Freshman)

Smith has transformed Purdue offensively with his ability in pick-and-roll, in which he’s finding all sorts of ways to score himself — 19 points at Minnesota — while also averaging 5.3 assists in Big Ten play, with a nearly three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio.

Guard — 2 Fletcher Loyer (6-4, 185, Freshman)

Loyer didn’t attempt a three at Minnesota, but now stands No. 2 in the Big Ten behind just Penn State’s Andrew Funk in three-point percentage in conference games, at 42.9 percent.

Guard/Forward — 25 Ethan Morton (6-7, 215, Junior)

Morton did a great job on Minnesota’s skilled 4 man, Jamison Battle, and maybe he gets a crack at Maryland’s Donta Scott, though he’s more powerful physically. It was good for Morton to see a couple threes go down at Minnesota, even if one got waved off.

Rotational Reserves

Forward — 0 Mason Gillis (6-6, 230, Junior)

Gillis was banged up slightly at Minnesota, it looked like, but seemed fine on Saturday.

Guard — 5 Brandon Newman (6-5, 200, Junior)

Same for Newman as Morton. He saw a couple shots go down at the Barn. The turnovers can be cut down, though.

Forward/Center — 4 Trey Kaufman-Renn (6-9, 225, Redshirt Freshman)

The Boilermaker youngster has struggled some since Big Ten resumed, as Purdue keeps playing through him when he’s on the floor to move along his development. He’s working like crazy behind the scenes and quite frankly deserves a breakout game here pretty soon.

Guard — 14 David Jenkins Jr. (6-1, 200, Senior)

Smith’s critical importance to this team has cast Jenkins into a limited role, but he seems to be giving the Boilermakers solid minutes as something more than just a shooter, which was his reputation coming to Purdue.

Guard/Forward — 11 Brian Waddell (6-8, 195, Redshirt Freshman)

Note: Freshman center Will Berg and wing Camden Heide will redshirt this season.

ON MARYLAND (12-6, 3-4 B1G)

• Maryland’s been a very different team at home and on the road in Big Ten play. The Terps are 3-0 at home, including this week’s win over Michigan, and 0-4 on the road.

• In conference games, the Terps have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league, with KenPom conference rankings in the double-digits in efficiency, turnover percentage and most shooting percentages (except for foul shooting).

• Maryland allows a league-worst 53.6-percent shooting on two-point field goals in Big Ten play, not a positive statistic heading into a meeting with Zach Edey, et al.

MARYLAND LINEUPS

Guard — 1 Jahmir Young (6-1, 185, Grad)

The Charlotte transfer and one-time Purdue recruiting target averages a team-high 15.8 points.

Guard — 13 Hakim Hart (6-8, 205, Senior)

The big, rangy wing is a player Purdue knows well and one who must be respected in transition and beyond the arc.

Forward — 24 Donta Scott (6-8, 230, Senior)

Scott’s mix of power, face-up skill and three-point potency have made him a real challenge for Purdue at times during his Terp career and this game may be no exception, as Purdue’s bigger 4 men may face another real challenge here. Scott may move to the center positions at times, allowing Maryland to play five-out-style offense.

Center — 10 Julian Reese (6-9, 230, Sophomore)

Reese is Maryland’s primary big man. Expect him to have help against Zach Edey.

Guard — 0 Don Carey (6-5, 187, Grad)

Bench

Guard — 23 Ian Martinez (6-3, 185, Junior)

The Utah transfer — no, he and David Jenkins did not play together — is a 38-percent three-point shooter.

Guard — 2 Jahari Long (6-5, 200, Junior)

Long followed Willard over from Seton Hall.

Center — 24 Caelum Swanton-Rodger (6-11, 220, Freshman)

The rookie big man doesn’t play a ton, but chances are Maryland will need its size off the bench off the bench.

THREE KEYS FOR PURDUE

handle pressure	dribble containment	The interior
Maryland’s going to give up some easy baskets, but they’re also going to come after Purdue hoping to force turnovers, both in the open floor and post, most likely. Purdue’s done well with this all season, but diligence is a must.	Scott in particular will be a tough cover for Purdue’s frontcourt, and Jahmir Young will attack from the backcourt as well. Purdue will just need to meet its goal of protecting the paint, and part of that means stymying transition as well. Maryland struggles to score.	Same as every game. Purdue will want to establish Edey first and foremost and play off that, while enjoying a healthy advantage on the glass. Nothing unique in that regard.

LIGHTNING-ROUND TAKES

• Purdue’s businesslike approach to the Minnesota game really spoke to Purdue’s ability to be consistent. In games like Sunday’s, Maryland’s going to have to be better than the Boilermakers, because they don’t look like they’re going to beat themselves very often.

• Funny how things work out. Not picking on Jahmir Young here, but he was one of the several transfer guards Purdue wanted in the spring. Had Matt Painter gotten any of them, would Purdue be worse off right now? Probably. (It’s hard to be better than 18-1.)

PREDICTION: PURDUE 75, MARYLAND 68

Maryland’s offensive limitations and body of work on the road really cast questions over whether it’s up to this sort of upset, and Purdue is showing no signs of phoning one in at any point. Small ball can be problematic for the Boilermakers, but Maryland hasn’t shot the three well enough to really sound an alarm there.