Michigan vs. Maryland: Game preview, TV schedule, prediction
The Michigan Wolverines are riding a four-game winning streak and are looking to close out their season on the road with a big time match up against the Maryland Terrapins who need a much-needed win.
TV Schedule: Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at Noon ET on ESPN
Arena: Xfinity Center, College Park, Maryland
These two teams met on Jan. 15 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and a lot has changed. The Wolverines have gone 7-3 and the Terrapins have a 5-5 record.
Michigan dropped a killer to Northwestern at the beginning of February and things didn’t seem to be going well. The Wolverines needed nothing better than to start a winning streak to close out the regular season. With much-needed wins over Wisconsin, Iowa and Penn State while picking up a signature victory against Ohio State, the Maize and Blue are in prime position.
Maryland on the other hand isn’t helping themselves one bit. With a consistently good RPI, the Terrapins keep staying among the top with bubble teams. They aren’t capitalizing on opportunities and that’s preventing them from staying safe. A loss to Indiana in January while falling to Penn State and Nebraska recently aren’t good at all, but Maryland is somehow still in the conversation.
The Wolverines have seemed safe all season. They haven’t gone on any major losing droughts and their worst conference loss has been against Northwestern. With the way the Wildcats have been playing lately, that’s turning into a really bad defeat. That’s just how life on the road in the Big Ten goes.
The Ohio State game no doubt was the over-the-hump game. For the longest time, Michigan has been in a category by themselves in the Big Ten. After being considered a clear-cut top-four team, the Wolverines moved into a solid fifth-place role with a loss to Nebraska. They were being labeled as a team who “should be in,” but was never a lock. I’m okay with saying they’re a lock now.
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That game was senior day for a couple great players in Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Duncan Robinson. Abdur-Rahkman went off for 17 points with two triples. Robinson came off the bench and tallied four free throws, which is more important than you think.
Abdur-Rahkman has been one of the most underrated guards in the Big Ten this season. Besides an off night against Penn State on Wednesday, the senior point guard has been in double-figures every game since Jan. 25. Their second point guard on the team is Zavier Simpson and it seems as though they work best when they’re bot starting.
The Wolverines have been putting together some really good defensive seasons as of late. This team is ranked 11th in the country in scoring defense at 63.5 points per game. Moe Wagner has excellent size at six-foot-ten. The Wolverines have found depth in the front court as Isaiah Livers and Jon Teske have come on nice lately.
Maryland has made a few changes since they last met in the middle of January. The freshman big man Bruno Fernando is now in the starting lineup over Michal Cekovsky. As disappointing as this season has been for Maryland, Fernando has shown a lot of promise for the Terps. He plays in the paint better than anyone on the team while leading the team in rebounds.
This was supposed to be Justin Jackson’s breakout season, but he’s been out hurt since December. Anthony Cowan has been a nice surprise for this Maryland team also. He leads the team in points per game at 15.7 and assists with 5.1. He can’t do it all though. The Terrapins are really missing consistent shooters in the starting lineup.
Cowan is also a scrappy, good defensive guard who averages over one steal per game. Their scoring defense ranks inside the top-50 as Fernando and Cekovsky have blocked over 25 shots this year. One has to wonder where this team would be if they had a guy who could take over a game like Jackson.
Michigan can stay alive for a top-four finish in the Big Ten which would ultimately give them a double-bye in the Conference Tournament next week. Certainly they need help as Nebraska holds a tie-breaker and plays Penn State on Sunday.
Maryland keeps hanging around the cut line. It will take a lot before they’re on the inside, but they’re not done yet. Losing to Michigan won’t do it because the Wolverines are a good team. With a rating (RPI, BPI, KenPom) of 42, they’re one of the better teams out.
A win over Michigan will give them their second quality win. The Terps will need at least one win in the Conference Tournament, but a victory on Saturday is a huge step in the right direction.
Prediction: Michigan 74 Maryland 69