Listen Live: South Dakota State vs Maryland [Live Audio] NCAA Tournament

By SportsDirect Inc.

At times this season it looked like Maryland might end up on a top line come NCAA Tournament time, but the Terrapins finished out the season with losses in five of their last eight games - including the Big Ten tournament - to end up as the No. 5 seed in the South. Maryland will take on No. 12 seed South Dakota State in the first round on Friday in Spokane, Wash.The Terrapins were 15-1 before running through the gauntlet of a tough Big Ten schedule but remain one of the most talented teams in the country behind sophomore guard Melo Trimble and the front line of Diamond Stone, Robert Carter and Jake Layman. Trimble was held to 11 points on 2-of-15 shooting in the 64-61 loss to Michigan State in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament and is hoping to guide his team out of the first weekend after falling in the second round to West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman. Trimble and company will not have an easy road to Sunday with Jackrabbits, who rolled through the Summit League tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last five years. South Dakota State will test Maryland's front line with freshman forward Mike Daum, who has scored in double figures in 20 straight games.

ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (26-7): The Jackrabbits are peaking at the right time with wins in six straight games after knocking off rival North Dakota State in the Summit final. "Our kids, literally, this is as hard as I've seen them play all year in terms of being in tune with each other," South Dakota State coach Scott Nagy told reporters. A team defensive effort, a team rebounding effort. I'm super happy for the seniors, particularly Deondre (Parks), George (Marshall) and Keaton (Moffitt), because last year we weren't able to go, but they're going to get the NCAA experience this year." Marshall (14.9 points) and Parks (14.7) will get the job of stopping Trimble.

ABOUT MARYLAND (25-8): Three of the Terrapins' last four losses came by five or fewer points, and they managed only two field goals over the final 10 minutes of the semifinal loss to the Spartans in the Big Ten tournament. "To be honest with you, through the ebbs and flow of the season, you just kind of have to look at your last game," guard Rasheed Sulaimon told reporters after the latest setback. "Sometimes you're going to play at your highest level. Sometimes you're not. We definitely had both throughout the whole season. Just looking at this game, I'm proud of everything we accomplished." Sulaimon averages 11.1 points but failed to reach double figures in five of the last six contests.

TIP-INS

1. South Dakota State cruised past Big Ten member Minnesota, which beat Maryland in conference play, on Dec. 8.

2. Carter averaged 14.8 points on 60 percent shooting in the last four games.

3. The Terrapins have not made it out of the first weekend at the NCAA Tournament since a Sweet 16 run in 2003.

PREDICTION: Maryland 71, South Dakota State 68