WATCH: Purdue Basketball Coach Matt Painter Previews Game at Maryland
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ahead of Purdue basketball's road matchup with Maryland on Thursday at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md., head coach Matt Painter met with the media to discuss the keys to the game.
The two teams met at Mackey Arena on Jan. 22, and the Boilermakers overcame 15 turnovers to earn a narrow 58-55 victory. The Terrapins boast a 13-1 record on their home court this season, which includes an unblemished mark when hosting Big Ten opponents.
"They've been one of the best teams in the country at home," Painter said on Wednesday. "UCLA beat them in nonconference, and nobody in-conference has beat them. I think they're tough as nails. We barely beat them on our home court, so I think that speaks for itself."
Taking into account Thursday's matchup, Purdue has been on the road for three of its last four games. The Boilermakers have lost both games away from home in the stretch, the most recent being a 64-58 defeat at the hands of Northwestern on Sunday.
Maryland is led by graduate transfer guard Jahmir Young, who averages 16.2 points per game this season. Against Purdue earlier in the year, he scored just 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting but added seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Terrapins have since won five of their last six games, and Young has put up 18.2 points per contest in those matchups. Painter said to slow down Young, the Boilermakers will have to take care of the basketball and not allow him to play in transition.
"When you let a guard like that who's so dangerous now get a handful of opportunities in transition that way to go along with how good he's going to be in the half-court, you're in trouble," he said. "It's not as much as stopping really good players at times, it's limiting them. They just can't have a lot of opportunities. You have to limit their opportunities."
The game between Purdue and Maryland is scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.