COLLEGE PARK, Md. - No. 23 Maryland will face 2018 Final Four participant Loyola (Chicago) on Saturday when the teams meet in Baltimore for the 2018 Charm City Classic. Tip-off at Royal Farms Arena is slated for 4:00 pm and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. 

 

STORYLINES

•  This will be Maryland's third game in Baltimore under Head Coach Mark Turgeon, previously defeating Princeton 82-61 (Dec. 19, 2015) and Charlotte 88-72 (Dec. 20, 2016) in the program's past two trips to Royal Farms Arena. 

•  The game will serve as a homecoming for Baltimore natives Darryl Morsell and Jalen Smith, who starred for perennial Baltimore City power Mount Saint Joseph High School. The duo won the 2017 MIAA and BCL Championships at MSJ, finishing 37-4 that season. 

•  The Terps will look to rebound after dropping their first conference contest of the season on December 6, falling 62-60 to Purdue at Mackey Arena.  

•  Maryland remained in the Associated Press Top-25 for the second straight week on December 3, moving up one spot to No. 23 after going 1-1 last week. The Terps made their debut in the USA Today Coaches Poll this week at No. 23.    

•  Freshman Jalen Smith scored 16 points, Bruno Fernando had 12 points and 13 rebounds and No. 24 Maryland opened Big Ten with a 66-59 win over Penn State on December 1. Anthony Cowan Jr. chipped in with 15 points, including two clutch 3s in the closing minutes. The last of those long-range jumpers, hoisted as the shot-clock expired, made it 64-59 with 34 seconds left. 

•  Cowan Jr. now sits just seven points shy of 1000 for his Maryland career. The Bowie, Md. native has averaged 13.4 points per game as a Terrapin, and is again leading his team in scoring this year (16.6/g).

•  Sophomore Bruno Fernando is currently averaging a double-double (14.7 points, 10.3 rebounds) for the season, and posted three straight double-doubles for the Terps from Nov. 23 to Dec. 1. Fernando became the first Terrapin to post double-doubles in three consecutive games since Jordan Williams had a streak of three from February 23 to March 2, 2011 against Florida State, North Carolina & Miami. Fernando's four double-doubles have already surpassed his total from last season (3), and ranks third-highest in the Big Ten.  

Full notes can be viewed here.

TERPS GAMEDAY

• Fans are reminded that the Maryland Athletics Clear Bag Policy is in effect for all Maryland home games for the 2018-19 season. For more information, please click here.

• For further information on gameday at the XFINITY Center, please reference the XFINITY Center A-Z guide.