Preview: No. 20 Maryland men’s basketball tips off against USC for first time since 1990

Photo courtesy of Maryland Terrapins

No. 20 Maryland men’s basketball (20-6, 10-5 Big Ten) hosts the USC Trojans (14-11, 6-8) at Xfinity Center for the first time Thursday night, reviving a series that has been dormant for 35 years. The Terps seek their fourth win in a row and look to stay unbeaten at home versus conference opponents.

In its first season as a member of the Big Ten, USC has been inconsistent in conference play. Their signature wins include on the road at then-No. 13 Illinois and handing then-No. 7 Michigan State their first conference loss, but the Trojans have not won or lost more than two consecutive conference games all season.

Like Maryland, USC relies heavily on its starting five for offense. Junior guard Desmond Claude leads the team at 16.0 points per game with sophomore Wesley Yates III and senior Chibuzo Agbo both averaging more than 12. The Trojans’ only starter below 10 points per game, senior forward Saint Thomas (9.9), leads the team in minutes, rebounds and steals.

USC lost its most recent game at home against Minnesota on Saturday, a 69-66 heartbreaker—they led by five with a minute and a half left. After Maryland, their east coast trip ends at Rutgers on Sunday.

The Terps boast the statistically superior starting five of Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Selton Miguel, Julian Reese and Derik Queen, who all average at least 12 points per game. Maryland’s bench has scored an average of about 3.6 points in the last six games, including zero in a road win against Nebraska Feb. 13.

The team’s last outing was a 101-75 home win over Iowa. The Terps allowed their most first-half points this season but outscored the Hawkeyes by 30 in the second. Gillespie came one point short of his season high, dropping 26 to go with seven assists and five rebounds.

Queen and Reese continued their recent stretch of dominance, both finishing with double-doubles. The freshman Queen has four such performances in his last five games while the senior Reese has five in his last seven. Both forwards are flirting with a double-digit rebound average.

The Terrapins lead the all-time series 3-0, winning the first-ever matchup in 1978.

Thursday’s tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.