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Maryland Basketball: Richmond Game Preview

By Sean Cole

Nov 17, 2021; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins forward Qudus Wahab (33) runs down the court after making a basket during the first half against the George Mason Patriots at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 17, 2021; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins forward Qudus Wahab (33) runs down the court after making a basket during the first half against the George Mason Patriots at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Maryland Basketball – Terps vs. Richmond
TV schedule: Thursday, November 25, 7:00 pm ET.
Network: CBS Sports Network
Arena: Baha Mar Convention Center, Nassau The Bahamas

Ok Maryland basketball fans, sit back and grab some Thanksgiving dinner leftovers from the fridge, grab your beverage of choice and enjoy some dessert, as Maryland takes on the Richmond Spiders in the Baha Mar Bahamas Championship from Sunny Nassau in the Bahamas.

Maryland (4-1) looks to rebound in the Baha Mar Bahamas Championship as Sat they will either play Louisville (ACC) or Mississippi State (SEC) in either the championship game or consolation game.

The Terp’s are coming off a rough week, as they lost this past Wednesday night in Collège Park to George Mason ( A-10) 71-66 and withstood a pesky Hofstra team (CAA) for an extremely close home win,  69-67.

Leading the way for the Terps are Guard Eric Ayala (15.4 ppg, 4.4 RPG, and 12 assists), Guard Fatts Russell (12.8 ppg, 3.6 RPG, and 17 assists), Center Qudus Wahab (11.0 ppg and 8.0 RPG), and Forward Donta Scott (9.8 ppg and 8.4 RPG).

The Terp’s will face an experienced and talented team in the Spiders (3-1), who were picked to finish 2nd in the league according to the A-10 preseason media poll, as well as having several players earn preseason all-conference honors.

The Spiders are led by three preseason all-conference picks in first-team picks Guard Jacob Gilyard (10.7 ppg, 3.0 RPG, 19 assists and 13 steals) and Forward Grant Golden (19.3 ppg, 6.0 RPG, and .686 FG%) as well as preseason second-team all-conference pick Forward Tyler Burton (15.7 ppg, 7.0 RPG and .643% from behind the arc).

Both Maryland and Richmond need to win this game, as this could impact the postseason for both teams as two wins in this tournament would be a solid resume builder and get two quality wins.

Here is what Maryland will have to do if it wants to beat Richmond.

Maryland is going to have to establish Qudus Wahab down low and give him the opportunity to do some damage down low and make him a part of the offense. When he is getting his touches it opens up the rest of the offense.

The Terp’s are going to have to find a way to knock down the three-ball. They have been horrific, to say the least when it comes to three-point shooting. As a team, they are shooting a whopping 25% from three-point land. Richmond as a team shoots 40% and makes an average of 12 three’s per game compared to 5.8 for the Terrapins.

That Maryland defense is going to have to step up to stop the big three Gilyard, Golden, and Burton if they hope to have any chance of winning this game. The Spiders are averaging 79 ppg, while the Terp’s average 71 ppg for +8 margin for Richmond. Maryland will have to find a way to defend the three-point line as both Golden and Burton are dangerous from the three-point line.

To go along with defending the three-point line, the Terp’s will have to continue to rebound the ball, as they need to limit the second-chance points for Richmond. Maryland is averaging as a team 42 rpp and Richmond is averaging 32 rpp. That is a +10 margin for the Terp’s and with the way they have been playing lately, every rebound is going to be critical.

If Ayala, Russell, Wahab, and Scott are struggling they must continue to have people step up on offense and fill in the Gap. The supporting cast will have to be there and step up. Whether that is Hakim Hart, Julian Reece, or Ian Martinez or all three picking up the slack, it must be done.

And finally, the Terp’s must start out fast and aggressively on both sides of the ball, but more importantly to be consistent. There are many times the Terp’s go on a big run only to not score for several minutes at a time or to go back and forth. Maryland is still trying to find itself, but one thing is for sure. When the Terp’s defense is playing with passion and emotion, it fuels their offense.

Wahab and Reese will have to impose their will in the paint, they will need to find a way to score some three’s and keep the turnovers to a minimum, limit the Spiders to one shot and rebound the ball. The superstars need to show up and if not others will have to step up and they must play with emotion on both sides of the ball and be consistent.