2016 NCAA, Tournament Preview, #5 Maryland Terrapins vs. #12 South Dakota State Jackrabbits
2016 NCAA, Tournament Preview, #5 Maryland Terrapins vs. #12 South Dakota State Jackrabbits
 |
The Maryland Terrapins may have one of the toughest paths to Houston out of any program in the field. For starters, the cross country trip from College Park to Spokane will serve as an early test to ward of any jet lag with the time zone switch. Next, the south region as a whole is one of the most talented regions in the tournament
Maryland and California offer two of the most NBA draftee laden lineups. Kansas, Villanova, Miami and even Wichita State could pose problems for the Terrapins on their road to Houston
South Dakota State can serve as the first problem for Maryland. The Jackrabbits come into Friday's game with a 26-7 mark and will look to use a small lineup to stymie the monstrous lineup of the Terrapins
Here are three key points to this game, which is scheduled to tip off at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 18 on TBS
How will the Terrapins defend Mike Daum
It's not very often that a program's best player is a true freshman, who comes off the bench and only plays 20 minutes per game, but in the case of South Dakota State, Mike Daum should be priority number one for Maryland. The 6'9, 245-pound forward took the Summit League by storm by averaging 15.2 points and about six rebounds per game in just 20.5 minutes per contest
His offensive versatility is one that could pose multiple problems for Diamond Stone, Robert Carter Jr. and Damonte Dodd. Daum does most of his damage inside the 3-point line, as he shoots an efficient 56 percent from the field and averages five made field goal attempts to nine shots attempted. He isn't prone to making multiple 3-pointers, but can step out and make them on occasion as he averages 45 percent from distance. Due to the multi-faceted skill set of Robert Carter Jr., it would make sense to have him guard Daum as he can comfortably stretch out to the perimeter if Daum elects to stretch Maryland's bigs away from the rim
