Maryland men’s basketball looks to build on recent momentum as it hosts Nebraska

Maryland men’s basketball suffered back-to-back losses to Northwestern and Michigan State in games that were decided in the final seconds. Trailing late in Iowa City, the Terps appeared in danger of a third straight nail-biting defeat.

And then Jahmir Young put his superhero cape on.

The guard’s eight points in the final 90 seconds – including a game-winning bucket with 1.7 seconds remaining — lifted Maryland to its first one-possession win of the season. The Terps were 0-5 in such games prior to Wednesday’s win over Iowa.

Now Maryland (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten) returns home with a bit of momentum on its side as it awaits a Nebraska squad (15-5, 5-4 Big Ten) that has exceeded preseason expectations.

The Cornhuskers have won two straight, but they’re 0-4 on the road in Big Ten play – they’ve been a much different team away from Lincoln, where they hold a 5-0 home conference record – including a 16-point win over No. 2 Purdue.

Despite losing three starters from a team that finished 12th in the Big Ten a season ago, Nebraska finds themselves on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, looking to make it to the big dance for just the second time in the 21st century. Leading bracketologists Joe Lunardi (ESPN) and Jerry Palm (CBS) both have the Cornhuskers in their field of 64 ahead of their trip to College Park.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg used the transfer portal to his advantage over the offseason. Two of his team’s three leading scorers – forward Rienk Mast and guard Brice Williams – are new additions. 

The Cornhuskers tend to take, and make, a lot of three-point shots. Nebraska averages 26.6 attempts per game from beyond the arc, the most of any Big Ten team. Six of its top nine minute-getters are shooting over 35 percent from the perimeter. 

It’s a much different look offensively than what Maryland provides. The Terps’ 3-point struggles have been well-documented, although they’ve shot it better as of late – just a hair under 35 percent since the turn of the new year. Donta Scott has played a big role in that department – he’s shooting 48 percent from 3-point range in that same stretch. 

But make no mistake — the success of the Maryland offense starts and ends with Young, who is in the midst of a torrid stretch during an All-American-caliber season. The fifth-year guard is averaging 25 points over his last eight games with a number of crucial late-game buckets like the ones in the final few possessions on Wednesday. 

Young leads the nation in points in the clutch — defined as points in games separated by six or fewer points with less than five minutes to play — with 68. Maryland hasn’t had much luck in close games this season, but it has usually been able to count on Young to do his part.

Maryland holds an 11-4 all-time record against Nebraska, but lost last year’s lone meeting in overtime in Lincoln.

Opening tip from the Xfinity Center is set for noon on Saturday.