NFL Tickets
Schedule: Sunday, Mar. 20, 3 p.m. ET
Arena: Spokane Arena, Spokane, Wash.
Line: Maryland (-6.5)
The Maryland Terrapins survived a scare on Friday as they became one of a few teams to buck this trend of lower seeded teams dominating the favorites. Following their close-call, you should expect a team completely focused on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
What To Watch For: Hawaii
Hawaii’s one of those lower seeded teams that wasn’t supposed to win, but they figure to give the Terrapins all they can handle. In their opener, they hit 20 of their 25 free throws. That figures to be a good sign if this turns into a free throw contest late. Believe it or not, they haven’t lost a game at a neutral site all season. They show up for big games, including a December contest against the Oklahoma Sooners where four more points would have given them a victory.
On Friday, their victory was aided by three guys reaching double figures in scoring. No one reached 20, however, so if their run is going to continue, they’ll need even more production. It’s just hard to see where they intend to get it from.
What To Watch For: Maryland
Maryland gave up 52 second-half points to a team they should have blown out. Hopefully, they’ve learned from that. In order for them to win, they just need to play the way they’re capable of for the entire 40 minutes. They have the better roster, as it’s difficult to envision Hawaii limiting or stopping Melo Trimble, Jake Layman and Diamond Stone. They may not be able to contain any of them. Expect Rasheed Sulaimon to bounce back as well after being held to just seven points in the opening round.
Expect a better game from the Terrapins in round two. They’re the better team with more talent. The Rainbow Warriors have been magical, but that magic will run out on Sunday.
Prediction: Maryland 77, Hawaii 70
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