Maryland-N.C. Central preview: Can Terps make it two in a row?

Maryland has a quick turnaround between its victory over Tulsa on Sunday evening and its game against N.C. Central on Tuesday afternoon. The Terps are looking to build upon their 11-point victory as they continue to work Seth Allen back into the rotation and give Jonathan Graham and Damonte Dodd more playing time. The game will tip-off at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

Players to know

Jeremy Ingram, senior, 6'3". The team's leading scorer, Ingram plays a lot and shoots a lot, averaging 24.6 ppg along with 4.1 apg. He's involved in 32.9 % of N.C. Central's shots taken, which ranks 41st nationally according to KenPom.com. His best skill might be his ability to draw fouls on opposing players. He draws 8.3 fouls per 40 minutes played, which ranks 9th in the nation. He also makes 74.5% of his free throws. He scored 37 points in his team's last game, an 11-point loss on the road at #11 Wichita State, and he also had 29 in his team's OT road win over NC State.

Jordan Parks, junior, 6'7". In a word, he's really good at offensive rebounding. His offensive rebounding percentage of 19.2 ranks 4th nationally (KenPom). He's listed as a guard, despite his huge size, and averages just under 10 points per game to go along with 6.8 rpg. He's also averaging over a block per game.

Alfonzo Houston, senior, 6'3". He's the team's second leading scorer at 11.7 ppg and also averages 3.1 rpg and 2 apg. He'll occasionally shoot the three, but he's only hit 4/18 shots this season. He's a pretty good free throw shooter at 74% and will make around 45.5% of his two-point attempts.

Karamo Jawara, junior, 6'8". Jawara does a lot of things really well, but nothing that is really stellar in a particular facet of the game. He averages 7.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2 apg. He does, however, have the second best offensive rating on the team (126.2, 122nd nationally) behind Jordan Parks' 127.2.

Emanuel Chapman, senior, 6'1". Chapman is mostly their point guard who dishes out 7.4 assists per game, although he might come off the bench. His assist rate of 34.9 ranks 29th nationally according to KenPom.com. He won't kill you with scoring (5.4 ppg), but he's a solid rebounder (4.6 rpg). He'll also be on the court 90% of the game for N.C. Central.

Strengths

They get a lot of steals, have good perimeter defense, and get to the line a lot, where they make 72.8% of their free throws. They're also a pretty veteran bunch. Lots of juniors and seniors are always an advantage.

Weaknesses

Fortunately for Maryland, they're one of the worst teams in the country at shooting the three, where their 29.2% ranks them 310th nationally (KenPom). They also allow opposing teams to grab a lot of offensive rebounds and do their own share of fouling.

Predictions

KenPom: Maryland 73-65, 80% chance of Maryland winning.

Our prediction: With Seth Allen's return, Maryland should be able to do a lot more, although with such a quick turnaround, Allen might not play as much in this game as he did against Tulsa. N.C. Central is no pushover, so Maryland has to be careful and not get into foul trouble. That being said, they should be able to win their second consecutive game and beat Central - Maryland 77, N.C. Central 73.