Virginia vs Maryland was once one of the premier rivalries in college basketball. But for the past decade and a half, that rivalry has gone dormant as the Big Ten-crested Terrapins float between mid-to-low tiers of another conference.
Right now, Maryland is one of just two Big Ten teams with just a single win on its resume (the other, strangely enough, is Purdue). To be fair, the Terrapins have only played two games — but that fact doesn’t exactly help them against a 4-0 Cavaliers team ranked No. 6 in the country.
A look at the Terrapins
The core trio for Maryland thus far consists of center Pharrel Payne (20.5 points per game), shooting guard Andre Mills (15.5) and point guard DJ Wagner (10.5). No. 2 point guard Kaden House (13.5) has also been a strong contributor.
However, of all Terrapins with at least five shot attempts, only Payne is making more than 47% of his attempts. He stands alone as the serious threat to an elite Virginia team. In terms of per-game averages, the Cavaliers have several advantages:
Statistical comparison
- Team shooting percentage: UVA 49.6, Maryland 44.4
- Team 3PT percentage: UVA 36.2, Maryland 20.8
- Steals+blocks per game: UVA 19.3, Maryland 11
- Assists per game: UVA 22.8, Maryland 10
- Fouls per game: UVA 16.5, Maryland 20
Unlike Virginia, the Terrapins have two of their starters not averaging more than seven points per game (Tomislav Buljan and Mike McNair), even though they got to beat up on a mediocre Bucknell squad just like the Cavaliers did.
Where does Virginia check in?
Every member of the Cavaliers’ core four is averaging at least 13 points per game. Virginia is also currently getting just shy of 10 points a contest from Nolan Adekunle and Elijah Gertrude. Overall, the Cavaliers are scoring an incredible 93 points per game. That large number includes a big time win over then-No. 12 Arkansas.
Maryland does have the slightly imaginary benefits of extra rest and home court advantage, but these Cavaliers more than counter with experience, continuity, depth, team defense, three-point shooting, bench play and versatility. With all of that in mind, Virginia should find victory. However, the Cavaliers have often lost in upset fashion at Xfinity Center in years past. Nothing is guaranteed.
Final score prediction: Virginia 91, Maryland 82
Side note — for the first time this season, Virginia will be donning its alternate blue uniforms. Maryland is going with a red-out.
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