It will be a matchup of two high powered offenses in the Sweet Sixteen as the Kansas Jayhawks take on the Maryland Terrapins in the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
How they got here
The Jayhawks had an easy go of things up till now. Being the top seed in the tournament, Kansas stormed past Austin Peavy 105-79. KU controlled the game from the start and never looked back as they racked up another double digit win in the NCAA Tournament. The offense was clicking as they scored 48 and 57 points in the first and second half respectively. They shot 55.7% from the field, making 39 of 70 field goals, and ended up scoring 105 points, something not a lot of teams do during the tournament. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was the top scorer in the game as the Ukrainian dropped 23 points for the Jayhawks.
Kansas also breezed by UConn, dispatching them in the Round of 32 just two days later as they knocked out the Huskies 73-61. Given UConn's recent run to get to the tournament and their recent history in March, many were thinking that this was the game where UConn might pull a stunner and knock off Kansas. That turned out not to be the case as Kansas opended up a 44-22 lead at halftime and never looked back. It was Perry Ellis's turn to lead KU as he scored 21 points to lead all scorers in this game.
For Maryland, the road was tougher than it was for Kansas. They were picked by some to be upset by South Dakota State but survived a late rally to win 79-74. The Terps were fortunate to have SDSU not even get a shot off in their final possession which allowed Rasheed Sulaimon a breakaway dunk to finish off the game. Maryland did not play well at the end of the game and it nearly cost them. But a win is a win no matter when it comes to the tournament.
They had an easier time with Hawaii in the second round as they beat the Rainbow Warriors 73-60. It was a close game at the half but thanks to Melo Trimble, the Terps were able to pull away take down a Cinderella in Hawaii. Trimble led the way for Maryland with 24 points and bounced back after a tough performance in the first round.
Key matchup
The key matchup of this game will be between Melo Trimble and Devonte' Graham. Both had good games in the Round of 32 and will be looking to be the difference makers for their respective teams.
This means more to Graham on the defensive end as he will be guarding Trimble who is the key to the Maryland offense. Graham could just insert all of his effort on the defensive end as Kansas is deep enough to cover for his offensive production when he has an off-day.
If Trimble doesn't get going, it may spell trouble for the Terrapins. It was ok if he did against South Dakota State, but not against a top team like Kansas.
Prediction
Kansas is too deep right now and are looking like favorites for the National Championship. Kansas wins this game but Maryland will give them a run for their money.