Pitt vs. Maryland: Open Gamethread

Pitt's challenging non-conference schedule continues tonight with a game against Maryland. The Panthers' game is part of the ACC-B1G Challenge and won't be an easy one.

With SMU, Marquette, and now Maryland, the basketball team has faced some decent competition so far. That doesn't include a game against pesky Yale, an NCAA Tournament team last year, and upcoming rivalry games against Duquesne and Penn State still to come.

Pitt will have its work cut out for them. Maryland isn't ranked in the AP Top 25, but is a perfect 7-0 and is the first team left out. In other words, this is basically a ranked opponent and likely Pitt's toughest game to date.

One interesting thing is that while the Terps are undefeated, virtually all of their games have been close. Aside from beating down a Division III team and knocking off Stony Brook by 14 points, Maryland's other five games have all been decided by six points or less. Two were one-point wins against Georgetown and Kansas State.

Maryland has a lot of contributors and is incredibly deep. Currently, they are 11 deep with all of those guys playing about 13 minutes or more. But the guy to watch is obviously junior guard Melo Trimble. Trimble looks like an NBA player and is averaging 21.1 points a game.

Pitt could really use this win. Going 2-1 against SMU, Marquette, and Maryland would be a great way to get into conference play. Not exactly a must win, but it would really help their resume down the line.

Game time is at 7:00 p.m. and you can catch it on ESPN2. Join us here to comment live during the contest.

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