Maryland men’s basketball is learning quickly that Las Vegas isn’t a city known as a place to rest.
The Terps play their third game — and third night game — in three days Wednesday, and it comes against
another daunting opponent: No. 8 Alabama, who lost to No. 12 Gonzaga on Monday by 10 points and beat up on UNLV Tuesday, 115-76.
Maryland and the Crimson Tide will, technically, tip off Thursday morning for viewers in Maryland, at 12 a.m. ET. The game will air on TNT.
No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-2, 0-0 Southeastern Conference)
2024-25 record: 28-9, 13-5 Southeastern Conference
Seventh-year head coach Nate Oats has slowly but surely turned Alabama into one of the country’s premier programs. The Crimson Tide have appeared in each of the past five NCAA Tournaments — including Final Four and Elite Eight trips in 2024 and 2025, respectively — with two SEC Tournament championships along the way.
This year’s team may not be all the way up to that caliber, but the Crimson Tide are still a dangerous opponent for anyone. They’re ranked No. 16 by KenPom and their two losses came to the No. 12 Bulldogs and No. 1 Purdue.
Alabama has KenPom’s hardest strength of schedule through six games of any team in the country. It’s stacked wins over No. 13 Illinois and No. 14 St. John’s.
Players to know
Labaron Philon Jr., sophomore guard, 6-foot-4, No. 0 — Philon looks primed for an All-American campaign in 2025-26. The former four-star recruit was a productive starter last season, with 10.6 points per game, but he’s on a different planet this year; with 20.7 points, 5.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game through six contests.
Keitenn Bristow, sophomore forward, 6-foot-10, No. 10 — Bristow’s ranking as a three-star transfer this past offseason seems silly now. The sophomore was named WAC Freshman of the Year at Tarleton State in 2024-25 and has been a key cog for the Crimson Tide off the bench this season, with a team-high 9.5 rebounds per game alongside 8.5 points per contest.
Aden Holloway, junior guard, 6-foot-1, No. 2 — Holloway graduated from La Lumiere School, where Maryland freshman Darius Adams attended high school. He made the daunted Auburn to Alabama transfer after his freshman year and is the main secondary scoring option besides Philon, with 18.4 points per game on 46.5% from the field. Holloway led the way against UNLV Tuesday with 26 points.
Strength
Inside efficiency. The Crimson Tide shoot the sixth-most 3-pointers per game in the country (34), and while they make just 33.5% of them, it spreads their floor and makes their big men substantially more efficient. Alabama’s 2-point percentage is all the way up to 60.7%, top-30 in the nation.
Weakness
Fouling. In a game against an opponent like Alabama, Maryland will need to get fouled at the high rate it has all year. The Crimson Tide sent their opponents to the line a lot; they’re allowing 25.6 free throws per game, third in the SEC.
Three things to watch
1. Another elite opponent. Maryland is only set to have two ranked nonconference opponents this year — but they come on back-to-back days, and are two of the best teams in the country. A stretch like that isn’t good for the Terps’ record, but it’s valuable experience and learning material to face high-level opponents.
2. Fatigue factor. The Terps will now have played three games in three days, something head coach Buzz Williams said he’s never done at the college level. Plenty of rest will be in order after the Las Vegas trip, but there’s still a game to play Wednesday night; and both teams will be running on fumes.
3. Myles Rice’s role. Rice returned from injury for the tournament, scoring eight points in 23 minutes against UNLV. That was reduced to 10 minutes against Gonzaga, and Rice had just one point. Williams indicated that may have been recovery-related, but his usage will be a storyline entering Wednesday night.
