Over the last 45 years, Maryland and Georgetown have played just six times. But don’t think for a minute that the schools are not bitter rivals.
A quick check of social media shows that fans of both teams relish the misfortune of the other. And in recent years, they’ve had lots of ammunition.
On Saturday night, the Terrapins (1-0) and Hoyas (1-0) get an opportunity to settle their differences on the floor as they meet in Washington.
It will be the second of a four-game series the schools set up before last season. Georgetown captured the first round 70-60. Twelve months later, the teams bear little resemblance to the squads that each finished with losing records last season.
Coaches Ed Cooley of Georgetown and Buzz Williams of Maryland are both entering pivotal seasons. They have remade their rosters largely with talent acquired through the transfer portal.
“This, to me, will feel like a tournament game,” said Cooley, who is in his fourth season. “You’ve got to win your home games when you’re trying to revitalize a community and turn around a program.”
The prize of Cooley’s portal class is Jaland Lowe, who scored 23 points Monday in Georgetown’s 80-58 victory over Loyola (Md.).
Lowe, who struggled with injuries last year at Kentucky, flashed the ability he showed two seasons ago at Pitt, where he averaged 16.8 points and 5.5 assists per game.
Teaming with Lowe in the backcourt is Kansas transfer Elmarko Jackson, who scored 14 points in his Georgetown debut on Monday.
Saturday’s game will present an interesting matchup of veterans inside as the Hoyas’ Vince Iwuchukwu will battle the Terps’ Pharrel Payne.
Iwuchukwu had 21 points and nine rebounds in the Loyola win, while Payne delivered 13 points and six rebounds in Maryland’s 96-67 victory over Bucknell.
The Terps were led by Andre Mills (22 points, 11 rebounds) and got solid debuts from New Mexico transfer Tomislav Buljan (10 points, seven rebounds), Arkansas transfer DJ Wagner (10 points, five rebounds) and freshman Kaden House (14 points).
Williams calls his team “completely different” from last year’s squad, which never led against Georgetown. He added that the same is true of the Hoyas.
“Based on what I know about Georgetown’s team, (it’s) probably more constructed the way that Coach Cooley prefers to play,” Williams said.