Maryland Men's Basketball At. UCLA Preview
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The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team travels to the West Coast for a tilt with the UCLA Bruins (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten) on Saturday evening at Pauley Pavilion. Both Big Ten squads have dropped their past two contests and are looking for a much-needed win.
Maryland (7-8, 0-4 Big Ten) has lost four of its past five contests and is still looking to earn its first in-conference victory of the season.
Let's take a look at who the Bruins are and what to expect in this clash of Saturday Night Hoops....
Game Details:
When: Saturday, January 10th
Where: Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California
Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET
How to watch: Fox
UCLA Key Stats:
Record: 10-5 (2-2 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Mick Cronin
Leading Scorer: Tyler Bilodeau- 18.1 points per game
Leading Rebounder: Eric Dailey Jr.- 5.6 rebounds per game
Leader in Assists: Donovan Dent- 6.5 assists per game
Team FG % per game: 48.5 (T52nd in the country)
Team 3PT FG% per game: 36.9 (T45th in the country)
Offensive Rating: 118.9 (T66th in the country)
Defensive Rating: 104.5 (T141st in the country)
Players To Watch
UCLA Guard- Donavan Dent
Dent is a great floor general point guard who excels at distributing the ball to his teammates, creating great scoring opportunities. He has an excellent handle that allows him to find lanes, beat defenders off the dribble, and make his way to the basket to score despite contact.
Maryland Forward- Elijah Saunders
Saunders had his best game as a Terp on Wednesday night against Indiana, contributing a stat line of 16 points, seven rebounds, one steal, and a block. I want to see Saunders stack consistent performances in which he's aggressive on the glass, provides the Terps with a two-way presence on the offensive end, and uses his size to disrupt plays defensively.
History vs. UCLA
Maryland trails in the all-time head-to-head series 4-7. But the Terps have won the past two meetings, last year at College Park (79-61) and in 2023-24 at UCLA (69-60). Saturday's matchup will be the fourth official meeting between the two teams in Los Angeles.
Final Take
The Terps' poor offensive shooting and lack of playmaking continue to plague them in their recent losses. Head coach Buzz Williams has tried different lineups and looked to some reserves for a spark, but hasn't found a consistent niche that has cracked the issues. The backcourt has to find its rhythm, drive the offense with its outside shooting, and establish more ball movement to provide cleaner sets and looks on offense.
The defense needs to improve. There have been instances where the Terps have displayed excellent communication, stops, and great effort. But sustaining it throughout the entire contest has been the problem. That's what separates the teams that can stack wins from those who flip-flop in results.
More From Maryland On SI
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Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.