Our long local nightmare is over and basketball is back. And then it's going to go on another nice little eight-day break. Savor it while you can, friends.
The good news: Stony Brook is no pushover. They're one of the better non-cons Maryland's played this year, rebound well, get to the free throw line, and play really good defense. They played UConn to a single-digit margin and have taken care of most every other mid-major that's been thrown at them. So this might actually be a good game, and it might actually help Maryland come March in RPI.
The bad news: Stony Brook is successfully partially because they play some ugly basketball. They're 290th nationally in pace, don't take risks defensively, and are decidedly average shooting - especially from inside the arc. It's like a mid-major Virginia. Or Wisconsin.
Random, Baseless Prediction: Maryland forces two shot-clock violations in the first half.
Prediction: Maryland's going to try to run, Stony Brook is going to try to walk and take the air out of the ball. They'll get some traction in doing so at some point, probably early on, and will scare a few fans. But Maryland's too good, too athletic, and has too much depth. Terps run away in the second half, 71-58.