Cavaliers mostly rely on outside shooting
As poorly as the Maryland Terrapins have shot 3-pointers this season (33.7 percent), their opponents have been even worse (30.8 percent).
On Thursday night at Virginia (11-8, 2-3), Maryland (12-7, 2-3) would be happy with the status quo against the 3-point dependent Cavaliers, who are hitting 38.8 percent from beyond the arc, tied for second in the ACC.
Virginia is 4-0 in games in which it has made at least half of its 3-point attempts. Its best win, 87-79 at current No. 16 Minnesota, was fueled by a 10-for-13 splurge from 3-point range. On Saturday, in a 72-64 victory over Georgia Tech, Virginia made 10 of 15 shots from the great beyond.
“They’re a very difficult team to guard because of their ability to control the tempo. Plus, they really shoot the ball well from the 3-point line,” Maryland coach Gary Williams said. “When the shot clock is running down, they have three or four people on the court who can make a big shot.”
| UP Next | |
| Maryland at Virginia |
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| When » Thursday, 7 p.m. | |
| Where » John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Va. | |
| TV » Comcast SportsNet | |
| Radio » 980 AM | |
Freshmen K.T. Harrell (45.7 percent) and Joe Harris (43 percent) and seniors Will Sherrill (42.4 percent) and Mustapha Farrakhan (39.5) are among six Cavaliers who have made at least 12 3-pointers. Against Georgia Tech, four players had at least two each.
After season-ending ankle surgery to top scorer and rebounder Mike Scott (15.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg), Virginia coach Tony Bennett had to remake the Cavaliers. He now starts four guards around 7-foot center Assane Sene.
“It’s hard to replace what [Scott] brought to the table. But we have to be a different kind of team,” Bennett said. “We’re trying to score in different ways, be smarter with our defense.”
While Virginia is built for the 3-pointer without Scott, Maryland, with five quick guards rotating at three spots, is built to defend it. But the Terps will have to be patient Thursday night. Unlike most teams that rely on the 3, Virginia plays at a slow tempo.
“They maximize their possessions to get the best possible shot,” Williams said. “They take advantage of the fact that they have guys that can pass the basketball and then shoot the basketball from the perimeter. They have four guys that really shoot well from the foul line and from the 3-point line.”
Strong shooting is a quality Williams envies. His team ranks last in the ACC in free throw accuracy (63.3 percent) and eighth in 3-point marksmanship. The Terps pulled out of the shooting doldrums in a 79-77 win over Clemson, hitting eight of 14 from the beyond the arc and making all four of their free throws in the final 15 seconds.
“We’re gonna shoot ’em just like we shot ’em against Clemson,” Williams said. “That’s where we are right now.”
