Maryland Looks to Set the Tone on Friday
By Michael Mirskiy – The Terrapins begin their NCAA Tournament campaign Friday afternoon in Seattle as they face the 13-seeded Grand Canyon Antelopes. Grand Canyon, hailing from Phoenix, AZ, comes into this matchup on the heels of a third consecutive WAC Tournament Championship. The Antelopes are no stranger to playing in March having knocked off St. Mary’s in a major upset just last season. Maryland is trying to avoid the upset this time around after a disappointing semifinal loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.
Maryland has high expectations this March, hoping to make a run in what is shaping up to be a very difficult West Region. The Terps find themselves in a region with strong teams such as Florida (one seed), St. Johns (2 seed), and reigning back-to-back national champion UConn (8 seed). Maryland is the only Big Ten team in the region and have no one in the region whom they played earlier this year.
This will be the first time that Grand Canyon and Maryland have met, with the Antelopes only joining Division One in 2013. Maryland has had plenty of success in the NCAA Tournament, with 2025 marking their 31st all-time appearance with a 44-29 tournament record. The four-seed is the highest for Maryland since 2015, and history is on their side as they have won 15 of their last 16 opening-round games dating back to 1997.
The Terps enter this tournament as an attractive pick to move on to the Sweet 16 and possibly farther in many people’s brackets. Maryland’s success this season has been fueled by one of the best starting five units in the country, known as The Crab Five consisting of Julian Reese, Derik Queen, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, and Selton Miguel. The Crab Five lead the nation in PPG by a starting unit (70ppg) and are highlighted by star center Derrick Queen. Queen, who claimed both Big 10 Freshman of the Year and 1st team All-Big Ten honors, averages 16.3ppg and 9rpg. Gillespie made it to the All-Big Ten third team and has been consistently good for Maryland throughout the year averaging 14.7ppg and leading the team with 164 total assists on the season. Rodney Rice was the star in the Big 10 Tournament quarterfinal rout over Illinois scoring 26 points in a 88-65 win. Julian Reese is another strong player for Maryland, being the only one that was on this team during previous NCAA Tournament campaigns. Reese leads the Big 10 in double-doubles on the season with 13. Selton Miguel was dubbed “the guy that keeps it all together” by CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander and for good reason. Miguel is the most experienced player on the team and is playing for his third school.
Scouting the Opponent
At the helm for Grand Canyon, is head coach Bryce Drew. Drew is a March Madness legend, having hit an unforgettable buzzer beater in the 1998 tournament for Valparaiso to sink Ole Miss. A halfcourt pass from the baseline made its way into the hands of Bill Jenkins, who passed it to Drew who knocked it down from beyond the arc with time expiring. Drew has been the head coach of three schools, and in 2015, Drew’s Valparaiso lost at the hands of Maryland in a first-round battle that ended in a 65-62 Terrapin victory. As a head coach, Drew took his alma mater to the dance twice, Vanderbilt once, and now Grand Canyon for the fourth time, and third in a row.
The star player for the Antelopes is Tyron Grant-Foster, who was the WAC Player of the Year last season. Grant-Foster was the hero in the GCU upset over St. Mary’s last year, contributing 22 points in their 75-66 victory. Transfer JaKobe Coles was the star in the conference tournament this season, winning most outstanding player. Coles is shooting 52% from the field and is a strong forward for GCU. Their top rebounder is Duke Brennan, who, along with teammate Collin Moore, was a WAC All-Defensive Team selection. Brennan, 6’10, is averaging 9.2rpg and will be a good matchup for Big Ten Freshman of the Year and superstar center Derrick Queen. Unlike Maryland, GCU has depth with players like Lök Wur, who was the WAC Sixth Man of the Year, and Caleb Shaw, who is the nephew of coach Bryce Drew.
Defense is the name of the game for GCU, and Maryland has had some inconsistent offensive showings, so the Antelopes are hoping for one of those low scoring, slow, and back in forth games if they want a chance at winning.
Picking the Game
Maryland is a 10.5pt favorite in the matchup, with the over/under set at 150.5. I’ll take Maryland to cover in this one with a score of 82-66. Maryland put up 80 in their Big Ten Tournament Semifinal loss and are undefeated this season when scoring over 80 points. I expect that to continue as they beat Grand Canyon by 16 in my prediction.
Looking Ahead
The winner of this matchup faces the winner of (5)Memphis vs (12)Colorado State on Sunday. Colorado State is actually favorite in that game even though they are the lower seed. The Rams enter the matchup very hot having won the last 10 games en route to a Mountain West championship. Memphis won the American Athletic Conference and are led by an incredible point guard/center duo in PJ Haggerty and Dan Dainja. Regardless of the winner, Maryland will have a tough test in the second round if they can get past Grand Canyon.
The game will be broadcasted on TBS called by Lisa Byington, Robbie Hummel, and Jalen Rose with Andy Katz on the sideline. It takes place in Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA and will tip at 4:35.
Michael Mirskiy is a TerpTalk intern
No comments have been posted yet, be the first!
Post a comment by filling out the form below.
