Gary Williams is an avid fan of the Beach Boys, so he knows of Kevin Love through the UCLA freshman forward’s famous uncle ? Beach Boys front man Mike Love.
But tonight, Williams and his team will get an up close and personal look at the 6-foot-10, 250-pound rising star who was one of the most sought-after recruits in the country last season.
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Maryland (3-0) will face No. 2 UCLA (3-0) in the semifinals of the O?Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The Terrapins advanced to tonight?s 7 o?clock game on ESPN2 by defeating Northeastern, 74-72, in overtime Thursday after posting a 70-64 victory over Hampton on Nov. 12.
The Bruins defeated San Bernardino and Youngstown State by a combined 86 points. The winner advances to Tuesday?s championship game, where it will face Missouri (3-0) or Michigan State (2-0), with the losers of the two games playing in the third-place game.
“I got a chance to watch them the other night. They’re pretty big,” senior forward Bambale Osby said of UCLA. “Josh Shipp is like 6-8, Kevin Love is like 6-10, [Lorenzo] Mata is like 6-9. They’re going to be a really good team. They’re a major conference team and we have to pick it up.”
Maryland, which has averaged 21.7 turnovers through its first three games, must make wiser decisions within its offense. The Terrapins got to the free-throw line 46 times against Northeastern, converting 31 points off fouls ? a trend they’ll look to continue tonight. Maryland’s interior play has been solid so far, but it hasn?t faced a team as talented as UCLA.
“We have to figure out a way to bring energy to the game. Hopefully, we’ve learned that from the last two [games],” Williams said. “We have to play well Monday, it’s as simple as that.”
Love leads the Bruins in scoring (20.7 ppg) and rebounds (10.3 rpg). Preseason All-American point guard Darren Collison is out with a knee injury, but Love and junior guard Josh Shipp (15.0 ppg) should create a challenging inside-outside combination that will test Maryland?s defense.
“I need some competition. I have to open my eyes and play hard,” Maryland sophomore guard Greivis Vasquez said. “We’re winning by two, we’re not executing at all. The biggest problem is myself.”
