Q&A: Gonzaga faces Maryland roster that includes former Cougars' Myles Rice and Isaiah Watts

Nov. 24—LAS VEGAS — There are not many chances to rest for Gonzaga and Maryland before Tuesday's clash at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in the second round of the Players Era Festival.

The Zags faced Alabama at 6:30 p.m. Monday in their opener, the same starting time as Tuesday's game against Maryland, which has even less recovery time. The Terrapins and UNLV were scheduled to tip at 9 p.m. Monday.

We reached out to the Baltimore Sun's Edward Lee, who covers Maryland athletics, for a closer look at the Terrapins.

Q: Maryland, down a few starters due to injuries, rallied to beat Mount St. Mary's in overtime in its last outing (prior to UNLV) behind 5-foot-11 guard David Coit's 41 points in 40 minutes. He had a lot of big scoring nights in two seasons at Northern Illinois so he's obviously capable of putting up points. Where does Coit's performance rank in school history and what makes him such an effective scorer?

Lee: Coit's 41 points are tied for third in school history and are the most by a player in Xfinity Center (Maryland's home court), but his outing felt more important than that. A loss to Mount St. Mary's would have negated all of the momentum that come-from-behind win at Marquette had generated on Nov. 15 and likely would have raised questions about the construction of the roster under new coach Buzz Williams.

Coit has been the team's most potent option behind the 3-point line, and he is playing with a confidence that this young and untested team needs. Aside from Pharrel Payne, Coit has been the team's MVP at this point in the season.

Q: Payne, a 6-9, 250-pound senior who played for Buzz Williams last season at Texas A&M, missed the last game with a hip injury but it sounds like he could possibly return by Tuesday to help deal with Gonzaga's stout frontcourt. How different are the Terrapins with Payne in the paint at both ends of the floor?

Lee: Payne has been the offensive and defensive anchor in the middle. On offense, he is the primary inside option and gives Maryland an inside-outside presence, especially when Coit is in rhythm.

On defense, he is a rugged defender and rebounder who settles his teammates who are still learning Williams' system. So his absence has been significant and will continue to be if this continues for an extended period of time.

Q: Maryland has a pair of former Washington State Cougars — guards Myles Rice and Isaiah Watts. Rice had 19 points off the bench against Georgetown but hasn't played in the last two games due to an ankle injury. Watts averages 26 minutes, 6.6 points and 3.0 rebounds coming off the bench.

Does Rice have a chance of playing in Tuesday's game and what roles will Rice (when healthy) and Watts have for the Terrapins?

Lee: I wish I had a definitive answer for you, but Williams refuses to provide updates on players' injury status. But based on what I have seen, Rice is still wearing a boot on his balky left ankle. I understand keeping him out of the game at Marquette, but I would have thought he might have suited up against Mount St. Mary's as a warmup for Las Vegas.

My uneducated guess is that he will not play this week. If he does, Rice will probably be the primary point guard, shifting Coit to shooting guard with freshman Darius Adams.

Isaiah Watts has been coming off the bench as a sixth man to boost the offense, and he has been impressive in his abbreviated appearances.

Q: Maryland is off to a 4-1 start but it's probably hard to get a read on the team with so many newcomers and several early-season injuries. Any feel for Maryland's biggest strength and weakness through five games?

Lee: Maryland's most prominent strength is its ability to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line. The team ranks seventh in the nation in foul shots per game (32.6) and free-throw percentage (81.6%) and third in foul shots made per game (26.6). The free throws have helped fuel an offense that is still working out the kinks.

The Terps' most prominent weakness is rebounding. They rank 14th in the 18-team Big Ten with 32.6 rebounds per game and 17th in rebounding margin at +1.0. Opponents have feasted on second-chance points against Maryland, which is another reason why the team sorely misses Payne and his 6.3 rebounding average.