Maryland (8-4, 1-1) vs. Coppin St. (1-12)When: Thursday, Dec. 28 | 7:00 PM | Xfinity Center TV: BTN-Joe Maifa, Christy Winters-Scott Radio: 105.7 FM (Baltimore), 980 AM (DC), SiriusXM channel 372 Betting: Maryland -29.5 | O/U: 127.5 (DraftKings) Maryland's final tune-up of the 2023-24 season is here as head coach Kevin Willard and the Terps welcome Coppin State to College Park on Thursday night, looking to secure its 19th consecutive home win. Thursday night will also give Maryland a chance to pick up its eighth win in nine games with a chance to close out the month 5-1, but that doesn't mean the Terps have done so in convincing fashion. The Terps picked up their first win away from home in five tries with the Jahmir Young show in full force last Friday night against UCLA. Young, who enters Thursday averaging over 19 points per game, posted a career-high 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting and was the driving force from beginning to end for the Terps. Young's 37 points also marked the fifth-most in a true road game in program history, behind Greivis Vasquez (41), Len Bias (41), Joe Smith (40) and Walt Williams (38), while Donta Scott was able to chip in with another 17 points. But yet again this season, Maryland struggled to find any chemistry on offense, and the production from the supporting cast was nowhere to be found. Outside of Scott and Young, Maryland shot just 3-for-18 from the field and 7-for-12 from the free-throw line while Willard saw his bench finish with zero points on the road. Maryland also saw three big men foul out against the Bruins, including Julian Reese who finished with just one point and four rebounds in 22 minutes in his worst performance of the season. Thursday will give Maryland a chance to instill confidence in its rotation against a reeling Coppin State team whose lone win came against UMBC, 89-70, back on Nov. 30. Coppin State is led by first-year head coach Justin Stewart, who once starred on the Eagles' squad that upset the Terps back in 1989. The two teams didn't meet again until Willard took down Juan Dixon last season in College Park, a 95-79 Maryland win, as Coppin State will look to pull off history on Thursday. The Eagles are led by forward Justin Winston, who enters Thursday averaging 13.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and is the lone player averaging double-figures along the roster. Camaren Sparrow, a freshman guard out of Baltimore, was also named MEAC Rookie of the Week earlier this season as he's become an immediate piece in the starting rotation. Yet still, Thursday will be all about whether the Terps' supporting cast can find a way to generate offensive momentum heading into its toughest test to-date, given the matchup set with Purdue at the start of the new year. While the Terps won't be able to pick up a Quad 1 win on Thursday, Willard is tasked with experimenting to find ways to get more production from his supporting cast with a chance for Maryland to bolster its resume with time running out. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Dq3JZnhHg4djlEoSF19yl?si=c27bb09e5bb847e1 Related Links Practice notes from Nashville (+)Beau Brade talks opting in, QB Payton Thorne, young secondaryMaryland trending for local guard with decision expected (+)Evaluating Maryland football’s remaining roster needs in 2024 (+) Scouting Maryland’s bowl opponent: Auburn’s offenseVIP: bowl prep, OL developments, confidence in vet (+)
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