#3 Purdue (23-3, 12-3) vs. Maryland (17-8, 8-6) When: Thursday, February 16 at 6:30 PM Where: Xfinity Center TV: BTN (Cody Provus, Stephen Bardo, Andy Katz) Radio: 105.7 (DC), 980AM (Baltimore) Maryland basketball was one possession away from tying their road test with the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers (23-3, 12-3 Big Ten) back in January, but fell short. On Thursday, head coach Kevin Willard recognized that breaking through Purdue's defense is a must. “I think the biggest thing for us is we gotta figure a way to score against them. I don’t think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively. They protect Zach tremendously. The two young freshman guards man, they work on the defensive end. I don’t think they get enough credit for how hard they work and how much they picked up a college scheme so quickly. They’re physical, they’re big. We gotta also gotta find a way to stop Gillis because I think he’s been really key the way they’ve been playing lately.” Three-point shooting was the Terps' (17-8, 8-6 Big Ten) Achilles heel in that first matchup, as they were an atrocious 3-of-21 from the perimeter and missed their last seven shots in the final stretch of the game. Julian Reese held his own against arguably one of, if not, the best player in college basketball, Zach Edey. Reese had 19 points in that game, while Edey had a monstrous 24-point and 16-rebound double-double. The numbers don't tell the story. Edey may be a supreme talent in the Big Ten and beyond, but Reese wasn't afraid and he has improved as each game has come and gone. Jahmir Young and Hakim Hart almost combined for a triple-double (21 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists). Hart played one of his best games this season in the 74-68 win over Penn State. He led all scorers with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He made the key plays in critical moments to push the Terps to victory. “Hakim is like the heart of the team,” Young said. “He does all of the little stuff, especially defensively, so to see him get going like that on offense, … really just trying to get him the ball and let him work, … we were all feeding off of him.” The Terps will need that energy from Hart because keep in mind, Terps fans, Maryland basketball is still undefeated at home in Big Ten play. Xfinity Center has been a hostile environment for teams that come through this season. Edey is going to get his number in this game, as he did back in January. The Terps will have to prevent Braden Smith and Mason Gillis from having big nights. Smith put up 24 points and five rebounds in the Boilermakers' 87-73 win over the Northwestern Wildcats. Gillis scored 29 points and secured three rebounds in the 80-60 win over the Nittany Lions. Every game means more and more now as we get closer to the conference and NCAA tournaments. Purdue is one seed in the Midwest region of Joe Lunardi's bracketology while the Terps are an eighth seed in the East region. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Thursday on the Big Ten Network. Related Links Coaching buzz (+) Contract details for new Maryland assistant Kevin Sumlin Maryland jumps into the mix for sleeper LB Keyshawn Flowers (+) Kevin Willard on season turnaround, Jahmir Young, upcoming Purdue game Maryland men’s lacrosse loses second player to season-ending injury
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