Preview: No. 18 Maryland men’s basketball returns home against Rutgers

Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

No. 18 Maryland men’s basketball (17-6, 7-5 Big Ten) returns to College Park after its four-game win streak was snapped on Thursday night’s loss at Ohio State. The Terps will host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-11, 5-7 Big Ten) at Xfinity Center on Sunday.

Despite its record, Rutgers presents a unique challenge for Maryland. The Scarlet Knights are led by two freshman guards — Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper — who are both averaging around 20 points per game and are projected by CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, On3 and more to be lottery picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.

But the two phenoms are the only Knights averaging double-figure scoring. This season, the only three times Rutgers’ leading scorer was someone other than Bailey or Harper was in losses at home to then-No. 8 Michigan State, St. John’s and Wisconsin

Still, Rutgers is coming off its best win of the season, an 82-73 home win over No. 23 Illinois Wednesday night. Bailey logged 18 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the year.

Maryland’s offensive unit is led by their starting five of Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Selton Miguel, Julian Reese and Derik Queen, who all average at least 11 points per game.

Thursday night’s defeat came on a Bruce Thornton 3-point shot that banked in off the backboard with seven seconds left. The Terps had two chances to tie the game on 3-point attempts from Gillespie and Miguel, but neither could convert.

“We lost [Thornton] and he hit a big three. He hit a tough shot,” Maryland head coach Kevin Willard said after the game. “It is a tough league. Every game’s a fun one.”

The game was one of Gillespie’s worst as a Terrapin. The junior guard had just six points on 3-for-11 shooting, including an 0-for-3 clip from beyond the arc.

Reese strengthened his argument for the Terps’ best player away from College Park. The senior notched 24 points and 13 rebounds, recording his 10th double-double of the season. He’s led the team in scoring in four out of seven road contests, with at least 22 in all four. Reese averages 17.3 points and 9.6 rebounds on the road — both team bests.

Maryland leads the all-time series 15-8, winning the first-ever matchup in 1940. The Terrapins won the first eight matchups after both teams joined the Big Ten in the 2014-15 season, but Rutgers won five of the subsequent nine. The Scarlet Knights 56-53 win in College Park last February is the only one-possession game in series history.

The Terps won the other two matchups last season, including in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Sunday’s game is set to tip off at noon.