Virginia Travel to College Park in ACC-Big Ten Challenge to Play Maryland

It is looking to have a big time game on our hands tonight with two Top-25 teams in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Virginia is undefeated on the season and has won the Battle-4-Atlantis Tournament against Wisconsin. And Maryland is also undefeated with a big win over Marshall. 

How Virginia Can Win

The Cavaliers have to implement their defense and rebounding tonight to better hold this Maryland team. Virginia has only allowed 49.3 points a game this season and has had this repeating narrative of defense for some time. Also, they need to rack up more rebounds against a Maryland team that is known to get to the glass a lot in their skirmishes. I think if Virginia can execute well on these aspects, then they should have a better chance against the Terrapins.

How Maryland Can Win

Maryland will want to keep up their assist numbers and play more offense to beat Virginia. The Terrapins average 17.2 rebounds a game this season and will need to boost up this number a bit to help battle this Virginia defense. Also, the push for more offense has been on their side this year because they average 84.8 points. This will help balance a Virginia team that has great defense with a decent offense. 

Players To Watch

Virginia: De’Andre Hunter is a well-rounded player for the Cavaliers this season and helps them on all sides of the ball. Hunter averages 16.8 points a game with 6.3 rebounds, this line can provide helpful against a high-scoring Maryland team. Watch for Coach Bennett to use Hunter as a wedge against Maryland.

Maryland: Anthony Cowan Jr. has been the leading guard for Maryland this season and has played with purpose. Cowan brings in an ability to shoot within the mid-range at 16.8 point a game and shooting at 47%. This will make Virginia key up a defensive presence in the paint to shutout Cowan’s ability to shoot.

Score Prediction

This Maryland squad has been pressing this year for a Big Ten Title run and will try for more against Virginia. However, I don’t think Maryland can get the win here and will fall just short of the victory. Virginia’s defensive presence will be too much for Maryland to handle in the final minutes. Virginia 79, Maryland 73

Photo Credits: https://www.testudotimes.com/maryland-terps-basketball/2018/11/27/18113445/virginia-game-acc-big-ten-challenge-rankings-stats-preview