Big Ten Tournament second round preview: Maryland men’s basketball vs. Iowa
No. 17-seed Maryland men’s basketball erupted within the first half Tuesday, holding Oregon to simply three subject objectives in your entire first half. But the Terps will not get a lot respite, as they flip their consideration to a well-known foe in No. 9-seed Iowa.
It’s not typically that two groups play each other 3 times in a single marketing campaign, however the Terps and Hawkeyes are actually acquainted at this level. With barely any relaxation, it is going to be a troublesome problem for a Maryland crew that has already performed twice within the final 4 days.
Wednesday’s recreation will start at 12 pm and stream on Peacock.
Maryland garnered their marquee win of the season the final time the 2 packages confronted off in early February, rising as 77-70 victors. The Terps had been already on a little bit of a roll at that time, having come off an away win in opposition to Minnesota wherein Diggy Coit delivered the dagger shot.
But within the contest in opposition to the Hawkeyes, it was primarily Andre Mills who seized the highlight. The freshman guard was on the outset of his sizzling streak, and he tallied a then-career-high of 24 factors to associate with 5 rebounds.
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa’s stellar level guard and more-than-capable scorer, registered a team-high 32 factors, to go along with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. He was additionally the crew’s main scorer in Maryland and Iowa’s first matchup again in early December.
The Terps had been additionally dominant within the paint, successful the rebound battle, 34-25. Solomon Washington, Elijah Saunders and Collin Metcalf every snagged eight boards.
It was Coit and Saunders who finally delivered the game-winning blows. Coit hit a triple and a pair of free throws earlier than Saunders prolonged the benefit with a late three. Saunders’ spectacular 3-point taking pictures as of late may come in useful once more.
After that contest, Maryland closed out the common season with only one extra win — an exciting 64-60 defeat of Washington that noticed Mills throw down a last-second alley-oop jam courtesy of Guillermo Del Pino.
But the Terps struggled, too, dropping to Rutgers at Xfinity Center after already having did not the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway earlier within the season. Maryland closed out the marketing campaign with two powerful opponents — Wisconsin and No. 11 Illinois. In the latter match, the Terps saved issues extraordinarily shut, enjoying Keaton Wagler and the Illini tight however dropping 78-72.
Meanwhile, Iowa’s loss to Maryland snapped a six-game successful streak, throughout which it beat the likes of Indiana and USC, amongst others. The Hawkeyes additionally had a troublesome gauntlet to complete the season. They had been routed by then-No. 13 Purdue, 78-57 within the very subsequent recreation.
Losses to then-No. 24 Wisconsin and No. 3 Michigan slid Iowa down within the convention standings — the loss to the Wolverines was by simply three factors. The Hawkeyes additionally gifted Penn State one in all their three Big Ten wins, but in addition break up in opposition to now-No. 11 Nebraska.
1. Controlling the glass. The final time these two groups battled, Maryland was the superior within the paint, and it was instrumental within the win. The Terps had been additionally hungry on the boards Tuesday, and that helped them forge a ton of momentum within the first half. It might be fascinating to see if Maryland can get out to a quick begin in a similar way.
2. Stopping Stirtz. It could also be far simpler stated than completed, however the Terps contained Big Ten Freshman of the Year Wagler just some days in the past — each Wagler and Stirtz are guards. Tavion Banks is the one different Hawkeye to common over 10 factors (10.5), so stopping Stirtz in any means will make the uphill battle just a little simpler for Maryland.
3. Playing on no relaxation. Maryland performed with a brief bench Tuesday. Nine gamers noticed the courtroom, with Isaiah Watts and Del Pino solely seeing a mixed six minutes. It might be price watching whether or not that alters Williams’ lineup selections or rotations, or impacts the taking pictures or stamina of any of the gamers.
