3 Things About Saturday's Road Tilt at Maryland

2018 Seton Hall Non-Conference Road Game Seton Hall Pirates (8-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) at Maryland Terrapins (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten)
Date/Time/Location	Saturday, December 22 \| 5:30 p.m. \| XFINITY Center (College Park, Md.)
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| XM 381 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Maryland
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram
Fan Information	Maryland's Clear Bag Policy for Fans Coming to the Game

It's not often that high major programs will schedule other high major programs in home-and-homes. For Seton Hall, this is their fourth home-and-home against a "Basketball Power Six" opponent that wasn't scheduled through a series (not including the Garden State Hardwood Classic) since head coach Kevin Willard came aboard. In 2011 and 2012, Seton hall swept a home-and-home against the ACC's Wake Forest. In 2014 and 2015, the Pirates split with SEC's Georgia. Last year, the Pirates went on the road and beat the ACC's Louisville only to see the Cardinals come to Newark and steal a win this season.

Now we welcome Maryland to the fold. The Terrapins look like an NCAA Tournament team so far this season and they have some star power in Anthony Cowin, Bruno Fernando and Jalen Smith, a three-headed monster that has spearheaded Maryland's 9-2 start. The Terps appear to have an advantage inside, but then again so did Kentucky. That's why you play the games on the court and not on paper.

Either way you cut it, Saturday's game will feature two good teams with a chance to pad their non-conference resumes. You can't ask for much more on the Saturday before Christmas.

Saturday's game will be televised on the FS1 with Gus Johnson and the electric Donny Marshall on the call. You can also catch it on the FOX Sports app. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin won't be wearing Santa hats, but they will be bringing an A+ quality radio broadcast (including the Kevin Willard Pregame and Postgame Interviews) on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on XM 381, the Pirate Sports Network and the SHU Pirates Mobile App.

Greetings from the XFINITY Center! Time to get a practice in, we've got a big one tomorrow evening! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/9tBHi3vlqZ
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 21, 2018

🚨IMPORTANT INFO ALERT 🚨
For any of our fans attending tomorrow's game at Maryland, please take note of the University's Clear Bag Policy: https://t.co/HGNiPAGmc2 #HALLin
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 21, 2018

Three Things to Know About Saturday's Maryland Contest

1. Don't Be Intimidated By the Crowd
Maryland's XFINITY Center is a tough place to play, but this Seton Hall program has been good at keeping out the noise. In true road games when the attendance is over 8,500, Seton Hall has 13 wins since the start of the 2014-15 season. Michael Nzei has been a part of 11 of the 13 wins. Myles Powell has played a role in seven of the 13 wins. So there's experience there. Of course one of the keys to knocking a hostile crowd of the game includes avoiding big runs.

2. Keep Moving the Ball
Seton Hall is facing a strong defensive team in Maryland that is particularly skilled up front. The Pirates will need to keep ball movement flowing to find the open man. Remember, the Pirates are at their best when they are distributing and not resorting to isolation at the end of the shot clock. The Hall averages 16.1 assists in their eight wins and only 6.0 assists in their three losses.

3. Box Out
Seton Hall is allowing 10.4 offensive rebounds a game, and that is a tough number to give up to a Terrapins squad that is obtaining 12.5 offensive boards per contest. Those two numbers combined could spell doom for The Hall, so the Pirates need to be physical and box out to limit Maryland's second opportunities.