Details for Maryland basketball's third game in Players Era Tournament finalized

Ahmed Ghafir
12 hours ago
2 min read

Fresh off the program’s worst loss in 16 years, the third and final matchup for Maryland men’s basketball in the Players Era Tournament is now set with results through the first two days in the books.

Maryland will face eighth-ranked Alabama for a 9 PM tipoff local time (12 AM EST), the second midnight tipoff in three days for fans on the East Coast.

This marks the second ranked opponent that Maryland has faced in as many days with the team now 1-1 in Quad One opportunities, while the program is searching for its first win against a top ten team since beating Illinois on the road, 76-67, back on Jan. 14, 2024.

Maryland has lost the last three against Alabama on a neutral floor, though the Terps hold a 4-3 lead in the all-time series.

Alabama enters Wednesday’s matchup 4-2 with its two losses against top ten teams, first an 87-80 loss vs. second-ranked Purdue at home before opening the Players Era Tournament with a 95-85 loss vs. Gonzaga. Alabama defeated UNLV, 115-76, on Wednesday night to close day two of the tournament.

For Maryland, how the team responds after splitting its first two games is the biggest question with senior forward Solomon Washington still inactive and not expected to make his debut in the finale. But after posting 38 turnovers over the last two games while allowing Gonzaga to hit a season-high 14 three pointers and shooting nearly 58% from the field as a team, Maryland has its work cut out for them against head coach Nate Oats, who remains perfect against Maryland.

“To some degree, without being too simplistic, the best thing may be that we're going to play in 24 hours,” head coach Buzz Williams said after Tuesday’s loss. “And so without the schemes and the strategies involved in whatever that opponent will be, how will we respond to what just transpired? And so I will always give credit to the opponent. They made us not play well, but our urgency and our response and not playing well is not near at the standard that it's going to have to become.”

Following Wednesday’s finale in this year’s Players Era Tournament, Maryland will return to College Park to host Wagner on Dec. 2 before opening Big Ten play at Iowa on Dec. 6.

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