Maryland (1-2) vs. Villanova (2-1)
When: Friday, Nov. 17 | 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Where: Finneran Pavilion
TV: FS1
Stream: FoxSports.com
Radio: 105.7 FM Baltimore, The TEAM 980 AM D.C., One Maryland App, Sirius XM 195/SiriusXM App
Betting: Maryland +6; O/U 135.5 (DraftKings)
After dropping two straight last weekend, Maryland will look to bounce back in likely the last Gavitt Games as they travel to Philadelphia take on 21st-ranked Villanova. Villanova has won four of the five matchups against Maryland, while head coach Kevin Willard is 6-19 all-time against the Wildcats. Villanova is led by Kyle Neptune in his third season as head coach. Villanova will also retire the jersey of former Villanova star and Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges at halftime of Friday night’s game.
Opponent overview: Villanova
After finishing 17-17 and watching Cam Whitmore depart to become a first-round pick, Villanova was able to reload. After playing just 13 games last season, Justin Moore opted to return while Kyle Neptune added four transfers to reload the roster.
TJ Bamba: The return of Justin Moore helped reshape Villanova’s preseason expectations, but the addition of former Washington State forward TJ Bamba added a playmaker to the frontcourt. Burton nearly averages a double-double with 10.7 points and 9 rebounds per contest while flashing his inside-out scoring ability. Bamba will test the Terps’ perimeter scoring too as he’s shooting 46.2% from three, but Brendan Hausen will be the three-point shooter to watch while Hakim Hart has drilled two of his four three-point attempts.
Tyler Burton: Another offseason transfer, Burton joined Villanova after four seasons at Richmond where he earned second-team All-Atlantic 10 honors last season after posting 19 points per game and sitting 11th on Richmond’s all-time scoring list. Burton enters Friday night averaging a near double-double with ten points and nine rebounds.
Justin Moore: A former Stag alongside Jahmir Young, gave Villanova a big boost after bypassing the 2024 NBA Draft and portal, opting to return for a fifth season. He enters Friday as the clear-cut alpha dog for ‘Nova as the first team preseason All-Big East selection is averaging a team-high 18.7 points on 44.4% shooting from the field.
Can the Terps find their shooting touch?
Head coach Kevin Willard admitted that he expects the Terps to find more success shooting the basketball, and after a deflating weekend, there’s no better time to step up than Friday night. Maryland turned to Noah Batchelor as the fifth starter against UAB with the forward getting a chance to showcase his deep shot, while freshman Jamie Kaiser Jr. has gotten looks through the first three games. Yet still, the Terps have struggled generating much success beyond the three-point arc, shooting just over 22% from the field. Maryland will go up against a veteran Villanova squad that’s shown they’re capable of scoring inside and out with three Wildcats shooting over 45% from deep. Whether Reese and the big men see doubles will be something to watch, but Reese has done well dishing out of the post to find the open man along the perimeter. Through three games, Maryland hasn’t shown they can hit those shots. Willard noted it takes time for the reshaped roster to settle into its new roles, but Friday will be the first test for the role players to step up.
Limit the turnovers
Turnovers were an issue in every game thus far, but it was the type of turnovers that raised the eye of Maryland fans. Though the return of Jahmir Young was expected to stabilize the backcourt, Maryland has committed at least 13 turnovers in every game this season. For reference, the Terps did such just eight times throughout the 2022-23 season. Again, Villanova poses length and size inside to challenge Maryland’s ball handling as the Terps look to minimize their second-biggest concern this season.
Winning away from College Park
Maryland’s two biggest concerns in Willard’s first season was whether the Terps could shoot the three and whether they could win away from Xfinity. Fast forward to the start of year two, and the Terps are faced with a similar challenge. While Maryland hopes the long week gives the team the much-needed reset to find their shot, they’ll have a chance to ease early concerns as they step into a hostile environment. There’s early season pressure for the Terps to pull off a win on Friday night with a chance for its first win outside of Xfinity and picking that up against a program that routinely squares off against the Terps on the recruiting trail would prove even sweeter.
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