Maryland men’s basketball (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten) looks for its third-straight conference win against No. 21 Indiana (15-6, 6-4 Big Ten), at home Tuesday night.
Lately the Terps have found their form again after struggling in December, winning three of their last four. The lone loss came against No. 1 Purdue by three points. They have been excellent at home all season, going 11-1 when playing in College Park and 5-0 in conference games at the XFINITY Center.
On Saturday, Maryland faced off against Nebraska and the Terps played one of their most complete games against any conference opponent this season, cruising past the Cornhuskers 82-63.
The offense seemed to click in a special way, as the Terps shot 44.6% from the field and tied a season-high with 16 assists. They also were incredible at the free throw line, going 24-26 as a team that averages shooting 73.1% from the line this season.
One of the keys of the game was defense leading to offense, scoring 20 points off Nebraska’s 15 turnovers. A majority of those points came in transition, as 22 fastbreak points came from snagging the ball off of turnovers and missed shots.
Of Maryland’s eight steals, graduate student guard Jahmir Young had six as he made plays on both ends of the court. Young notched 18 points and seven assists to lead the way, scoring and getting his teammates involved on the fastbreak. He’s been on a scoring tear recently after transferring before this season, averaging 21 points per game over his last six games.
“Jahmir has gotten really used to the size of the league, and I think since he’s gotten comfortable we’ve gotten comfortable,” coach Kevin Willard said.
Five Terps scored in double figures on Saturday, with some of them having some of their best games of the season. Graduate student guard Don Carey scored 16 points on 4-4 shooting from three, and graduate student forward Patrick Emilien put up 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench while playing good defense on the other end of the floor. Senior guard Hakim Hart finished with 11 points, five assists and four rebounds, and senior forward Donta Scott had 12 points and six boards.
Now, the Hoosiers come to town looking to be the first road Big Ten team to win in College Park this season. Led by coach Mike Woodson, Indiana is currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak, most recently beating Ohio State 86-70 on Saturday.
Leading the way for Indiana is senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is putting up ridiculous numbers this season. He’s averaging a double-double this season with 19.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, and is also fourth in the nation averaging 3.17 blocks per game.
“He’s the best player in the country right now,” Willard said. “I think he’s more dominant than Zach Edey and that’s saying something.”
Jackson-Davis has been unstoppable during the five-game winning streak, averaging 25.4 points per game and 13.4 rebounds per game in that span. The team around him is becoming an offensive juggernaut, currently shooting a Big Ten best 50.3% from the field while averaging 16.43 assists per game.
The Hoosiers can space the floor as well, shooting 38.4% from three — second-best in the Big Ten. A few players are giving Jackson-Davis options to kick out to from three. Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino is averaging 12.8 points per game on 43.1% three-point shooting, and super senior forward Miller Kopp is shooting 44.6% from three on a team-high 83 attempts this season.
One of the only weaknesses in Indiana’s game is its defense. The Hoosiers rank ninth in the Big Ten in overall defense, allowing 67.4 points per game. If the Maryland offense can find its groove, the Terps may be able to neutralize the high flying Indiana offense.
The game will start at 9 p.m. and take place at the XFINITY Center.
