9:15 p.m. ESPN2
In a turn of events, Virginia travels to Maryland on Wednesday for a game against the Terrapins in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The funny thing is, of course, Maryland was in the ACC several months ago and beat Virginia at Maryland in the final ACC regular-season game between the two rivals. Everyone thought that would be the last game between the two schools, at least for awhile. Alas, that was not the case as the powers that be decided to pair up the two schools for a nostalgic game this year. The Cavaliers won the meeting in Charlottesville last year.
While Virginia looks similar to the team from a year ago, Maryland looks pretty different. Seth Allen was one of the Terrapins' best players a season ago but he is now at Virginia Tech, sitting out a year as a transfer. Dez Wells (16.2 points per game) is still on the team, but he is out with a broken wrist bone. Two other main contributors from last season -- guard Nick Faust and forward Charles Mitchell -- have transferred. Faust is at Long Beach State and Mitchell is immediately eligible at Georgia Tech because of a family situation. Robert Carter Jr., a pretty solid post player at Georgia Tech, actually transferred to Maryland but isn't eligible this season.
The Terrapins are very young. A freshman, guard Melo Trimble, is leading them in scoring at 16.6
ppg. He is hitting 48.4 percent of his 3s and 89.4 percent of his free throws. He's also averaging 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Junior Jake Layman, a holdover from last season, is averaging 14.4 ppg and is hitting 44.4 percent of his shots beyond the arc as well as grabbing 5.7 rpg. Freshmen Dion Wiley (7.7 ppg), Jared Nickens (6.9 ppg), and Michal Cekovsky (5.3 ppg) are all contributing as is transfer Richaud Pack (7.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg). As a team, Maryland is shooting a respectable 39 percent beyond the arc, 71 percent at the foul line, and 49.3 percent from the field (32nd in the country).
This was not expected to be a top-25 matchup at the beginning of the season but it is now, with UVa ranked No. 7 in the AP poll and Maryland at No. 21. The Virginia ranking isn't surprising but no one thought Maryland would be all that good this year -- it was picked 10th in the Big Ten -- with so many transfers and freshmen but coach Mark Turgeon has the team playing hard early on in the season. The Terps are 7-0 with victories over Wagner, Central Connecticut State, Fordham, Arizona State, Iowa State (which was No. 13), Monmouth, and VMI.
Maryland is sure to be fired up on its home court for this game and this is now looking like a marquee matchup for both teams.
Virginia is 7-0 and coming off two wins in the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn. In the first game against La Salle, Virginia built a big lead and held on in the second half for a 64-56 win over the Explorers. Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points. In the second game vs. Rutgers, UVa played a very ragged first half on offense and was down, 18-17, at the break. The second half was somewhat better, though, and Virginia won, 45-26, holding the Scarlet Knights to an amazing eight points in the second half. Anthony Gill had 13 points to lead Virginia. He was named the tournament MVP. He tallied 16 points against La Salle.
In a turn of events, Virginia travels to Maryland on Wednesday for a game against the Terrapins in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The funny thing is, of course, Maryland was in the ACC several months ago and beat Virginia at Maryland in the final ACC regular-season game between the two rivals. Everyone thought that would be the last game between the two schools, at least for awhile. Alas, that was not the case as the powers that be decided to pair up the two schools for a nostalgic game this year. The Cavaliers won the meeting in Charlottesville last year.
While Virginia looks similar to the team from a year ago, Maryland looks pretty different. Seth Allen was one of the Terrapins' best players a season ago but he is now at Virginia Tech, sitting out a year as a transfer. Dez Wells (16.2 points per game) is still on the team, but he is out with a broken wrist bone. Two other main contributors from last season -- guard Nick Faust and forward Charles Mitchell -- have transferred. Faust is at Long Beach State and Mitchell is immediately eligible at Georgia Tech because of a family situation. Robert Carter Jr., a pretty solid post player at Georgia Tech, actually transferred to Maryland but isn't eligible this season.
The Terrapins are very young. A freshman, guard Melo Trimble, is leading them in scoring at 16.6ppg. He is hitting 48.4 percent of his 3s and 89.4 percent of his free throws. He's also averaging 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Junior Jake Layman, a holdover from last season, is averaging 14.4 ppg and is hitting 44.4 percent of his shots beyond the arc as well as grabbing 5.7 rpg. Freshmen Dion Wiley (7.7 ppg), Jared Nickens (6.9 ppg), and Michal Cekovsky (5.3 ppg) are all contributing as is transfer Richaud Pack (7.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg). As a team, Maryland is shooting a respectable 39 percent beyond the arc, 71 percent at the foul line, and 49.3 percent from the field (32nd in the country).
This was not expected to be a top-25 matchup at the beginning of the season but it is now, with UVa ranked No. 7 in the AP poll and Maryland at No. 21. The Virginia ranking isn't surprising but no one thought Maryland would be all that good this year -- it was picked 10th in the Big Ten -- with so many transfers and freshmen but coach Mark Turgeon has the team playing hard early on in the season. The Terps are 7-0 with victories over Wagner, Central Connecticut State, Fordham, Arizona State, Iowa State (which was No. 13), Monmouth, and VMI.
Maryland is sure to be fired up on its home court for this game and this is now looking like a marquee matchup for both teams.
Virginia is 7-0 and coming off two wins in the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn. In the first game against La Salle, Virginia built a big lead and held on in the second half for a 64-56 win over the Explorers. Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points. In the second game vs. Rutgers, UVa played a very ragged first half on offense and was down, 18-17, at the break. The second half was somewhat better, though, and Virginia won, 45-26, holding the Scarlet Knights to an amazing eight points in the second half. Anthony Gill had 13 points to lead Virginia. He was named the tournament MVP. He tallied 16 points against La Salle.
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