Maryland (4-1) vs. Villanova (3-3)
When: Nov. 24, 2024 | 1:00 PM | Prudential Center
TV: ESPN | John Schriffen (pxp), Jay Williams (analyst
Listen: One Maryland App, 105.7 FM (Baltimore), 980 AM (DC), SiriusXM channel 372
Betting: Maryland – 5 | O/U: 138 (DraftKings)
Maryland men’s basketball will look to take care of business in Newark on Sunday afternoon when they face Villanova. Maryland will look to move to 1-1 in Quad One games before hosting Ohio State next month to kick off Big Ten play, along with the chance to pick up its first win outside of the Xfinity Center this season.
After Maryland came out on top in 1985, Villanova has won the five matchups since then while head coach Kevin Willard is 6-20 all-time against the Wildcats. Villanova secured a 17-point win in Philadelphia during the Gavitt Tip-Off Games last season after Tyler Burton finished with a game-high 15 points, while the loss marked the lone time that Jahmir Young was held under ten points during the 2023-24 season.
But that was the past, far from what the current Wildcats look like as year three of the Kyle Neptune era has opened with a rocky start.
After opening the season with a 12-point win over Lafayette, Villanova was humbled against Columbia following a ten-point loss at home. Six days later, Villanova fell against St. Joe’s, 83-76, only to fall below .500 after Virginia walked away from the Hall of Fame Series in Baltimore with a ten-point win. The Wildcats got back to 3-3 after dominating Penn on Tuesday, 93-49, as Sunday marks the next chance for Maryland to prove themselves.
Senior forward Eric Dixon led the way on Tuesday with his fifth consecutive 20-point game of the season as he enters Sunday averaging a team-high 24.3 points per game, is one of two new transfers averaging double figures for the Wildcats in La Salle transfer Jhamir Brickus (10.6 ppg) and Miami transfer Wooga Poplar (14.5), who didn't start vs. Penn after the program announced he was late to a team meeting.
Senior guard Jordan Longino and former Arizona St. and Fresno St. big Enoch Boakye round out the expected starting five.
“It was no big deal with Wooga not starting,” said Neptune. “He’s a consummate team player who wants to be in it with his teammates.”
Maryland has been able to dominate the glass through its first five games, entering Sunday tied for 32nd nationally (+10), but that'll be tested against a Wildcat team that has outrebounded every opponent to open the season. Villanova is averaging 14.3 second chance points per game from its 11 offensive rebounds per game.
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