Maryland basketball to host Fairfield as part of Advocare Invitational

Maryland men’s basketball now knows at least one opponent it will face as part of the Advocare Invitational, getting Fairfield at home as an extension of the early-season tournament.

The scheduling of the matchup was first reported by Jon Rothstein on Tuesday, and Testudo Times was able to independently confirm. The game, while part of the invitational, will not affect the tournament’s bracket, per a Maryland spokesperson. The Terps were first announced to be in the field last November.

That gives Maryland the lowest-rated opponent of the crop, with Fairfield finishing last season ranked No. 301 on KenPom. It’s a new regime for Fairfield, with former Rutgers assistant coach and defensive coordinator Jay Young taking over the Stags. The Terps could still draw matchups with Texas A&M, Temple, Harvard, Marquette, USC or Davidson in the bracket of the Orlando-based tournament.

Along with 20 conference matchups, the Terps have already scheduled eight of 11 nonconference games. Maryland is guaranteed at least three games in the invitational, and this is most likely one of those. It is also currently unclear whether the game will take place during the Nov. 28-Dec. 1 window that the invitational runs, or whether it will take place outside of those dates.

Either way, that’s one more home game for Maryland as the Terps enter the season with high expectations.

In other news

Jalen Smith will be back for his sophomore year and manning the paint for the Terps next season. Andy Katz ranked “Stix” the No. 18 player in his preseason top-25 list.

Cast your vote in the inaugural Testudo Times Awards and make your pick for who should be named the best Maryland male and female athlete, freshman and coach of 2018-19.

Former Terp Matt Rambo was named a captain for the first-ever Premier Lacrosse League All-Star Game. He was able to draft his team and filled it with other Terps.

Offensive Line Week powered forward with a trio of left tackles that will look to protect whoever gets the start at quarterback. The job appears to be Jaelyn Duncan’s to lose.

Field hockey’s Linnea Gonzales will represent the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games, after making the 16-player roster that’s headed to Lima, Peru for an Olympic qualifier.

Men’s soccer commit George Campbell signed a contract with Atlanta United FC, ending his time at Maryland before it began.

And here’s former Terp and MLB All-Star Brandon Lowe being introduced at the MLB All-Star Game (yes, his last name was pronounced incorrectly). Lowe is currently injured and did not play in the game itself.