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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — No. 6 seed Maryland (24-8) vs. No.11 seed Xavier (21-13)
First round, West region; Orlando, Florida; 6:50 p.m. EDT.
BOTTOM LINE: The Terrapins limp into the NCAA Tournament having lost four of their last six games, including a first-round loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament. But the Terps should get past a Xavier team that has struggled much of February. The Musketeers lost six straight toward the end of the regular season, but did manage to win two games in the Big East Tournament, which included an impressive win over No. 18 Butler.
STAR WATCH: Melo Trimble has been Maryland's go-to player for all three years he has been on campus, but the first-team All-Big Ten player has found another gear this season. He has scored in double figures 30 times this season.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Trevon Bluiett has been a key player for Xavier the last two seasons, but he has stepped up in a major way since Edmond Sumner suffered a season-ending knee injury in January. Bluiett has become the Musketeers go-to player, scoring in a variety of ways. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 17.0 points a game.
DID YOU KNOW: Maryland is 11-3 in games away from home this season. Xavier ranks 20th nationally in rebound margin at plus-6.6 rebounds per game.
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