Tag: Terps

NBA Draft: Maryland’s Jalen Smith is a name to watch for the Golden State Warriors

If the Golden State Warriors decide to not use their top pick on Onyeka Okongwu or James Wiseman, Maryland’s Jalen Smith could be an option in the frontcourt.

As the rest of the basketball world turns their attention to the NBA bubble, draft season has arrived early in the Bay Area.

The Golden State Warriors are one of eight teams outside of the league’s restart in Orlando. Although their league-worst 15-50 record didn’t earn them an invite to Disney World, the Warriors will be in line for a top-five pick in the draft for the first time since 2002.

With a bevy of options on the table, the Golden State Warriors will use the start of their extended offseason to decide how to deploy their first-round draft pick. After the NBA Draft Lottery in August, the Warriors will have a better idea of what prospect they can bring to the Bay Area.

If Steve Kerr and Bob Myers opt to bring help to the interior at the top of the draft, USC freshman Onyeka Okongwu and Memphis center James Wiseman have been popular names at the start of mock drafts. Despite Okongwu and Wiseman’s popularity, other members of the frontcourt class are worthy of a look for the Golden State Warriors.

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If the Warriors decide to move down in the draft — or reach for a surprise, Maryland’s Jalen Smith could be a name to watch for the Golden State Warriors.

The Maryland prospect was listed at No. 19 in the Warriors Wire NBA Draft Big Board.

On his way to earning Third-Team All-American honors, the Maryland sophomore tallied 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. On his way to helping Maryland to a No. 12 AP ranking, the 6-foot-9 big recorded four games scoring 20 or more points.

Against Indiana, Smith recorded his college career-high with 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting with 11 rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal in the Terrapins’ 77-76 victory. Smith flashed his steady jumper against the Hoosiers, swishing four 3-pointers. Against Northwestern, the former McDonald’s All-American recorded a monster double-double with 22 points and 19 rebounds.

With Kevon Looney and Marquese Chriss currently listed on the Warriors depth chart, Smith could bring a new dynamic to Kerr’s rotation. Shooting 36.8% from 3-point range, Smith has proven he can step out and knock down shots from long distance.

Smith is a fierce athlete, running the floor at a pace that would fit alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. He’s a springy athlete that could threaten in the lob game when on the floor at the NBA level. On the defensive end, Smith uses his 7-foot-1 wingspan as a rim protector. Against Rutgers, Smith swatted a whopping six blocks. Smith recorded 13 games with three or more blocks in his sophomore season in Mark Turgeon’s program.

With their season over, and months on the calendar until October’s draft, the Golden State Warriors will have plenty of time to do their homework on Smith, and the rest of the 2020 draft class.

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Saints to hire Maryland coach Cory Robinson to defensive staff

The New Orleans Saints are expected to hire Maryland Terrapins coach Cory Robinson, a respected defensive assistant from the college ranks.

The New Orleans Saints appear to have filled the vacancy left by assistant defensive backs coach Leigh Torrence, with Maryland defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Cory Robinson set to join them. News of Robinson’s addition was first reported by AL.com’s Matt Zenitz, which was confirmed by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

Torrence left for a higher position with the New York Jets, rejoining defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (who Torrence once played for when they were both with the Saints, back in the early 2010’s). It’s a bit of a surprise that the Saints added someone to replace him this late in the game, but they obviously value having as many eyes as possible on the back end of the defense. He’ll work with secondary coach Aaron Glenn and senior defensive assistant Peter Giunta.

But let’s circle back to Robinson. He joined Maryland coach Michael Locksley’s staff just a year ago, having first worked as the Terps’ director of player personnel back in 2015. Sandwiched in-between were stops at Toledo (2016), Temple (2017), and Rutgers (2018), as cornerbacks coach.

This feels similar to the addition of defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen back in 2017. Like Robinson, Nielsen was a highly-regarded position coach who had earned a promotion to the NFL by successfully recruiting and developing talented athletes. Nielsen has done a great job coaching up inexperienced players like David Onyemata and Marcus Davenport; now, Robinson will get the same opportunity.

The Saints will go into the 2020 season with their coaching staff largely intact. While linebackers coach Mike Nolan was hired away by the Dallas Cowboys as their new defensive coordinator, the Saints made an in-house promotion to elevate Michael Hodges into that spot. With Robinson filling in for Torrence, New Orleans is poised to run it back one more time.

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Maryland at Ohio State college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Maryland Terrapins at Ohio State Buckeyes betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks.

The Maryland Terrapins (22-4, 12-2 Big Ten) visit the Ohio State Buckeyes (17-9, 7-8) Sunday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, for a 4 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the Maryland-Ohio State odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

Maryland at Ohio State: Three things you need to know

1. No. 7 (USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll) Maryland totes a nine-game win streak into this Big Ten showdown against No. 24 Ohio State. The win streak has vaulted the Terrapins into a two-game lead in the Big Ten standings. Maryland beat the Ohio State 67-55 in College Park Jan. 7.

2. Four of Maryland’s wins during the streak have been away from home. That’s a stark contrast to UM’s first four road games this season, all of which were losses. The Terps have shot the ball much better and taken much better care of it in the latter four. Turnover numbers have been the biggest area of change. And, especially for a good defensive team, Ohio State has recently struggled in forcing opponents into turnovers.

3. Two key areas of this one for Maryland will be its ability to get some offensive rebounds and get to the foul line. Recent OSU trends are solid in both areas. The Buckeyes have out-rebounded foes in seven of their last eight games. Until a Thursday loss at Iowa, OSU had held opponents to just 14 free throws per game over its previous seven.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.

Maryland at Ohio State: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Ohio State 68, Maryland 64

Moneyline (ML)

Ohio State’s average margin of victory at home has been a robust 18.6 points. The Buckeyes have held teams to a 36.3% field-goal accuracy mark in their own barn, and their strong rebounding helps suffocate comeback runs. OHIO STATE (-139) is a nice price to leverage in a straight-up play.

New to sports betting? Every $1.39 wagered on the Buckeyes ML will profit $1 if they win.

Against the Spread (ATS)

The Buckeyes are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games as a home favorite. They are 4-2 ATS when seeking revenge for a road loss. There is some profit cushion in the OHIO STATE -2.5 (-106) line. It’s worth splitting a moderate-confidence play with the above moneyline wager.

Over/Under (O/U)

Trends make for a lean toward an Under in principle, but the number here is solid. PASS on the O/U 133.5 (Over +100, Under -121).

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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