Maryland @ Connecticut preview
Mackey Arena
Last Meeting ( Dec 8, 2015 ) Maryland 76, Connecticut 66
Despite getting his season interrupted by an elbow injury, James Bouknight was among the Big East's top scorers and a significant reason for UConn returning to the NCAA Tournament after a lengthy absence.
Bouknight and the seventh-seeded Huskies start their quest to make a deep run Saturday night at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., when they face 10th-seeded Maryland in an East Region game that features a pair of defensive-minded teams. The winner advances to face second-seeded Alabama or No. 15 seeded Iona.
"UConn is built for March," Bouknight said. "This is where we belong. This is our time of year."
Bouknight did not qualify for the scoring race because the injury cost him a little over a month. He was averaging 20.3 points at the time of the injury and finished the season at 19.0 points, a figure that would have been second in the Big East if he hadn't been sidelined.
Bouknight's dynamic performances include a 40-point game and seven contests of at least 20 points, and the Huskies (15-7) were 11-3 when he played. Bouknight's array of standout performances helped UConn reach its first NCAA Tournament since 2016 when it was a ninth seed and lost to Kansas in the second round.
The Huskies will be playing eight days after a 59-56 loss to Creighton in the Big East tournament semifinals. Bouknight went 4-for-14 from the field and finished with 14 points while often encountering double teams.
"What he's done for UConn basketball, where this thing was at a couple of years ago -- James will make some adjustments and he'll play great next week," UConn coach Danny Hurley said.
Aside from Bouknight, the Huskies also boast the Big East's top scoring defense. The Huskies allowed 64.6 points a figure that ranks 41st nationally and allowed teams to shoot 41 percent, which ranks second in the 11-team league behind Creighton (40.6). UConn held teams to 60 points or fewer 10 times.
Maryland (16-13) was considered to be on the tournament's bubble, but the Terrapins came on down the stretch by winning six of their final nine games after losing nine of their first 13 Big Ten contests.
"Because our league was so good, especially at the top, for us, we had to figure out a way to compete and give ourselves a chance to win," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. "And we really had to change who we were and how we wanted to play to how we had to play to be successful."
Maryland likely clinched its bid with a 68-57 win over Michigan State in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.
"We had a couple guys in tears, they were so happy," Turgeon said. "It's been an incredibly amazing year, difficult year, but amazing year."
The Terrapins are led by Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins, who averaged 14.9 and 14.0 points respectively. Ayala scored 21 points against Michigan State, has six 20-point games while Wiggins finished with 19 and has five 20-point games.
"They have a number of veteran players that have played really, really well on last year's team that was one of the best of the country," Hurley said. "They have really athletic wings. It'll be a really, really tough first game."
Like UConn, the Terrapins also boast an effective defense as they ranked second in the Big Ten by allowing 65 points per game and holding opponents to shoot just 40.9 percent from the field.
--Field Level Media