WVU Basketball

5 Things to Know Before WVU vs. Maryland

Published

1 year ago

March 16, 2023

West Virginia and Maryland will tip off the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon in Birmingham, Al. Let’s take a look at five things to know before the game.

How Does WVU Match Up with Maryland?

Maryland and West Virginia show a lot of similarities in their regular season resumes this year. Both were in tough conferences for different reasons: half of the Big 12 was stacked and the Big Ten showed a lot of depth in solid teams. The Terrapins have won two true road games all season, defeating Louisville and Minnesota. WVU has three true road wins over Pitt, Texas Tech and Iowa State.

UMD is led by transfer guard Jahmir Young, who averages 16.1 points on 42 percent shooting. Young’s 6-foot-2 build makes him a quick guard that can cut right to the rim. West Virginia has struggled to guard the paint this season. Maryland’s build is Houston-like with tall guards and small bigs. WVU should play small for the majority of the game.

Maryland has a top-30 defense in the country behind first-year head coach Kevin Willard, who was at Seton Hall for 12 seasons. The Terrapins have an inconsistent offense but only turn it over 10.5 times a game. West Virginia can’t afford to turn it over 15-20 times against Maryland.

Maryland plays various types of defenses. The Terrapins will switch zones and may bring pressure with Young. West Virginia will have to get creative offensively if Maryland switches their defense around.

Stevenson, Mitchell and Others Playing in First March Madness

WVU’s Erik Stevenson and Tre Mitchell highlight the many Mountaineers that haven’t appeared in an NCAA Tournament game.

Fifth-year seniors Emmitt Matthews and Kedrian Johnson appeared with WVU in 2021 while Joe Toussaint played in two tournaments with Iowa.

West Virginia’s experienced roster does have inexperience playing in the Big Dance.

West Virginia Won Last Appearance Versus Maryland in 2015 NCAAT

In the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, West Virginia defeated Maryland 69-59. This marked the last time the two met in their series history.

West Virginia leads all-time 17-13 against the Terrapins.