Maryland vs. Connecticut College Basketball Game Preview, Prediction, TV Schedule

TV Schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 8, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

Arena: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Line: Maryland (-1.5)

 

The Connecticut Huskies entered the 2015-16 college basketball season as a dark horse favorite to win it all, but have fallen in two of their last three games, losing to the Syracuse Orange and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The good news for UConn is that both of these losses came by just three points each, and the Huskies will have an opportunity to redeem themselves against top opposition, as they face the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins in the 2015 Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night.

Maryland fell on the road to the preseason No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels, but have continued to look like one of the best teams in the country since. There is not one player to target on this team defensively, because Melo Trimble, Robert Carter, Rasheed Sulaimon and Jake Layman are all capable of going off on any given night, making the Terrapins one of the most dangerous all-around teams in the country. A win over UConn would solidify this team’s place in the top five and could, more importantly, be a major factor when it comes to final NCAA tournament seeding.

The Huskies are not just going to roll over for the No. 2 team in the nation, however. Kevin Ollie is an excellent coach, who, like Maryland, boasts an extremely deep team with tons of talent. Sterling Gibbs, the transfer from Seton Hall, has been quiet in his last five games, and I expect him to go off in this one with 20 or more points.

I’m calling the upset, as UConn finally gets over the hump and knocks off No. 2 Maryland in Madison Square Garden. This game has the feel of an Elite Eight matchup, and we could be getting an early preview of March-level basketball.

Prediction: Connecticut 74, Maryland 71

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.