Maryland men’s basketball vs. Indiana preview
The Terps are looking for their third consecutive win at home.
Coming off two straight home wins, Maryland men’s basketball looks to finish a three-game homestand undefeated with a win against Indiana on Tuesday.
The Terps dominated Big Ten bottomfeeder Nebraska, 82-63, at XFINITY Center Saturday. Graduate point guard Jahmir Young once again shined with 18 points, and backup big Patrick Emilien provided a huge boost off the bench with 10 points, seven rebounds, one block and a steal. Five Terps scored at least 10 points — the fourth time that happened this season and the first time since Jan. 8 against Ohio State — for one of their most balanced offensive showcases all season.
Maryland also tied a season high with 16 assists Saturday, putting forth a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the fourth straight game.
With a win, the Terps would pick up their first three-game Big Ten win streak since Feb. 2021. Indiana leads the all-time series 11-8 and has won three straight games against the Terps.
Maryland is a two-point favorite, according to KenPom.com. Tuesday’s tipoff is set for 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
Indiana Hoosiers (15-6, 6-4 Big Ten)
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson is in his second year leading his alma mater. Woodson, 64, is in his first coaching stint at the collegiate level after 680 games as an NBA head coach and several years as an assistant. The former Hoosiers All-American guard is 36-20 overall and led the team to the NCAA Tournament last season before a Round of 64 exit.
Starting the season as the No. 13 team in America, Indiana was inconsistent through its first 16 games. The Hoosiers fought through injuries and were relegated from preseason promise to postseason doubt. Since then, Indiana has won five straight games by an average margin of 13.2 points. The Hoosiers most recently played Saturday, running Ohio State out of Assembly Hall, 86-70.
Players to know
Trayce Jackson-Davis, senior forward, 6-foot-9, No. 23 — One of America’s premier players, Jackson-Davis has been a household name among college hoops fans for four years. This year, though, he has taken his game to an even greater level. Jackson-Davis is averaging a career-high in points (19.6), rebounds (10.7), assists (3.6) and blocks (3.2) per game. The All-American and three-time All-Big Ten honoree ranks No. 3 in KenPom’s national player of the year standings.
Jalen Hood-Schifino, freshman guard, 6-foot-6, No. 1 — The highest ranked recruit among Big Ten freshmen, Hood-Schifino is blossoming into a star at point guard. Hood-Schifino averages 12.8 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. A 43.1% 3-point shooter, Hood-Schifino had one of his best collegiate games yet against the Buckeyes on Saturday, posting 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting (6-of-9 from distance).
Race Thompson, redshirt senior+ forward, 6-foot-8, No. 25 — An All-Big Ten honorable mention last season, Thompson is an indispensable glue guy. Thompson recently returned from a four-game absence due to a knee injury and has played 20-plus minutes in each of Indiana’s last two wins. He is averaging 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 17 games this season.
Strength
3-point shooting. The Hoosiers shoot 38.4% from deep, the second-best mark in the Big Ten and the 18th-best in Division I. Indiana was especially hot in its most recent game, shooting 10-of-20 against Ohio State. Maryland plays good perimeter defense — the fifth-best 3-point defense in the Big Ten and the 50th-best in America — which could be paramount Tuesday.
Weakness
Free-throw shooting. Indiana is a 69.6% foul shooting team, ranking 10th in the Big Ten and 236th nationally. The Hoosiers are slightly worse in their six losses, shooting 67.3% from the charity stripe in those games. If Tuesday’s game is close as expected, free throws in crunch time could be the difference.
Three things to watch
1. Can Julian Reese and the Terps contain Trayce Jackson-Davis? Jackson-Davis is unequivocally one of the sport’s best big men, and Maryland has had a mixed bag going against dominant bigs. The Terps didn’t fare well against Hunter Dickinson in their first meeting with Michigan but limited his production in the second. Purdue big and national player of the year frontrunner Zach Edey had 24 points and 16 rebounds, but Reese nearly matched his production offensively, giving the Terps a chance to win.
However, Reese has picked up at least four fouls in eight of Maryland’s 10 league games. Emilien is healthy again and playing well, but Maryland needs Reese to stay on the floor to have a chance to beat another big-centric team.
2. Will Jahmir Young continue his dominance at home? Young scored 18 points in the Terps’ most recent game against Nebraska, which somehow feels like he was kept in check compared to his home performances in conference play. The Charlotte transfer and hometown star is averaging 24 points per game in league home games. At XFINITY Center, Young is playing like one of the best players in both the Big Ten and Division I.
3. The big picture. A win over the Hoosiers would not only put the Terps over .500 in Big Ten play for the first time since early December, but it would strengthen their position in the NCAA Tournament field. Maryland is floating around the bubble, but it is still safely on the right side as of Sunday night; it is averaging a seed of 10.03, according to BracketMatrix.com. As of Sunday, the Terps — who are No. 36 in the NET rankings — are 3-7 in quadrant one games and perfect in quadrant two, three and four. Indiana, which is No. 21 in the NET, presents an opportunity for a fourth quadrant one victory and an opportunity to stay hot heading into a road matchup with Minnesota on Saturday.
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