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basketball Edit

Hoops Game Day: Maryland

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN

Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-2, 1-1) vs Maryland Terrapins (10-3, 1-1)

Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2018 - 5:30 p.m.

XFINITY Center

TV: BTN

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: btn2go.com

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Nebraska projected starters
NAME HT/WT YEAR NOTES

Glynn Watson

6-0/180

Sr.

Scored 16 points and hit four three-pointers vs. Southwest Minnesota State, his 10th game this season with multiple made threes.

Thomas Allen

6-1/184

So.

Finished with 10 points and was 2-of-3 from 3-point range in win over SMSU.

James Palmer Jr.

6-6/207

Sr.

Had 16 points and tied his ca high with five assists vs. SMSU; has now been in double figures in 43 of 46 career games at Nebraska.

Isaac Copeland

6-9/225

Sr.

Scored 12 points vs. SMSU, reaching double figures for the 12th time in the 13 games this season.

Isaiah Roby

6-8/230

Jr.

Sat out of the SMSU game with a groin injury; will be a game-time decision to play tonight.

Maryland projected starters
NAME HT/WT YEAR NOTES

Anthony Cowan Jr.

6-0/170

Jr.

Leads team in scoring (16.5 ppg) and assists (4.5 apg).

Eric Ayala

6-5/205

Fr.

Freshman averaging 9.2 points and 3.3 assists since taking over as the primary point guard this season.

Darryl Morsell

6-5/200

So.

Averages 9.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.

Jalen Smith

6-10/215

Fr.

Former McDonald's All-American averaging 11.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest.

Bruno Fernando

6-10/240

So.

Leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.702) and blocked shots (2.5 bpg) while ranking third in rebounding (9.6 rpg).

3 KEYS TO VICTORY

1. Will Roby be able to go?

Nebraska will be facing its most daunting low-post challenge of the season tonight at Maryland, and the biggest question facing the Huskers going in is the status of Isaiah Roby. The standout junior forward was held out vs. Southwest Minnesota State due to a groin injury he suffered early last week. Roby was able to practice on Monday and NU seems optimistic about his chances to return to action tonight, and his presence – limited or not – would be huge, especially on the glass and on defense.

2. Keep Cowan contained

Maryland’s size gets a lot of attention from opposing scouting reports, as it should. But the player who makes everything go for the Terrapins is junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. Like Glynn Watson is for Nebraska, Cowan is a critical piece on an otherwise talented but very inexperienced roster. Last year he hardly ever left the floor, leading the Big Ten in minutes played by a wide margin. His workload has lightened just a bit this season, as freshman Eric Ayala has taken over as the primary ball handler and allowed Cowan to be more of a scoring threat. Cowan leads his team in scoring (16.5 ppg) and assists (4.5 apg), and NU head coach Tim Miles said he was the type of player who “changes your game plan” when he’s on the floor.

3. Fight on the glass

Nebraska has been better in the rebounding department this season compared to last year, but it still has been an issue at times. The Huskers are going to be at a disadvantage against bigger teams like Maryland just by the nature of their roster, but they have to find a way to keep the Terrapins from completely dominating the glass and racking up second-chance scoring opportunities. Led by 6-foot-10 bigs Bruno Fernando and Jalen Smith, UM has out-rebounded its opponents by nearly 12 boards per game this year.

QUOTABLE

"Watching their actions in practice, you can see that, ‘it’s a about to get real.’ We have a veteran team, so I would expect them to act accordingly."
— Head coach Tim Miles on the focus of his team this week entering the remainder of Big Ten play

PREDICTION

Nebraska 79, Maryland 78

Robin's season record: 10-3

vs. the spread: 8-5

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