Terps Take in Spokane, Prep for Hawai'i
3/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Following a closed practice at Spokane Arena Saturday afternoon, the Maryland men's basketball team decided to forgo the bus ride in favor of walking the short distance back to the hotel through scenic Spokane.
It was a tremendous sightseeing tour for the Terps as they crossed the beautiful falls of the Spokane River. Players and staff soaked the fantastic nature, taking pictures and laughing along the way.
Sunday will be all business for Maryland, however, as it looks to advance to its first NCAA Sweet 16 since 2003 when it meets 13th-seeded Hawai'i at 7:10 pm EST on TBS. The team acknowledged its lessons from last season's experience and was intent on focusing solely on the task at hand tomorrow.
Head coach Mark Turgeon pointed to the Rainbow Warriors as a threatening matchup based on their guard play.
“Hawai'i is a tough matchup for us because of their guards and they're able to stretch the floor with their big guys,” Turgeon said. “I think obvious strengths for us are our inside presence, offensively and defensively. Hopefully, we can protect the rim and, hopefully, we can score around the basket. And then we have good guards too. So we have a lot of strengths, we're playing better, we're playing with more confidence. So, it should be a great game.”
Senior Jake Layman, who scored 27 points and tied a Maryland NCAA record with five 3-pointers against South Dakota State, stressed the importance of the defense for the Terps.
“I think that defense is what's going to win us games,” Layman said. “Rebounding has also been a big focus.”
As Layman said, winning the glass will be a major key to the Terps' success Sunday. Maryland is 21-3 this season when it outrebounds its opponent.
