JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -  The 6th-seeded Maryland men's basketball team is set to make its 28th NCAA Tournament appearance Thursday as it faces 11th-seeded Belmont. The Terrapins are 41-26 all-time in the tournament and are 24-3 in tournament-opening games, including wins in 12 of their last 13. The game will tipoff at approximately 3:10 pm and will be broadcast on truTV.   

More information on this year's 2019 NCAA Tournament can be found here.

The full bracket for this year's tournament can be found here.  

STORYLINES

• This is the first-ever meeting between Maryland and Belmont. 

• Maryland enters the tournament boasting the fourth-youngest team in the country (350 of 354) in experience according to KenPom. Kentucky is the only younger team in this year's tournament field. Additionally, the Terps played the eighth-toughest regular season schedule according to NCAA.com, with its opponents notching a .618 cumulative win percentage.

• The Terrapins garnered a number of individual Big Ten awards, led by sophomore Bruno Fernando earning First Team All-Big Ten and All-Defensive honors. Fernando was the only player in the conference to earn both honors. Junior Anthony Cowan Jr. was named Second Team All-Big Ten (now a 2x All-B1G honoree) and Jalen Smith was named to the freshman team.

• According to KenPom, Maryland is one of just 10 teams in the field ranked in the top-27 in both defensive efficiency (22nd) and offensive efficiency (27th), joining Gonzaga, Virginia, Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Michigan and Houston.

• Sophomore Bruno Fernando was named one of five finalists to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award list (top center), becoming the first Terp to be named to the list since its inception in 2015. In Big Ten action, Fernando led the league in double-doubles (15) and rebounds (11.4), while shooting better than 80-percent from the free throw line.

• Junior Anthony Cowan Jr. is one of just six players in Maryland history to record 1,300 points and 400 assists in a career. He joined an impressive group that includes Greivis Vasquez, John Lucas, Johnny Rhodes, Walt Williams and Melo Trimble. He recently cracked the top-25 in career points (1,356).

• Sophomore Bruno Fernando has recorded a double-double in 11 of his last 14 games. Fernando's 20 double-doubles on the season are tied for the third-most in program history and rank seventh nationally. His 15 double-doubles in conference action led the league.

• The Terps are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, ranking seventh in the country and second in the Big Ten Conference in rebound margin (+8.3). 

• Terp Tendencies: Maryland has won all 22 games it has played when leading with 5:00 to play; Maryland is 15-0 when holding opponents under 40-percent shooting; Maryland is 14-2 when it makes more free throws than its opponent.


Full notes can be viewed here.