Maryland vs. Wisconsin: 2019-20 key storylines for Big Ten clash
By Connor Gluck
Will this game be another chapter in the start of a potential rivalry between the two schools?
Maryland and Wisconsin? Really? While it might seem random at first, the Terps and Badgers have had the makings of a quality rivalry since UMD joined the Big Ten conference. For starters, the two teams have had an even split (4-4) of their matchups since the Terps joined the Big Ten. And while the two teams might not have a lot of history, just 13 total matchups, there have been quite a few moments to spark a fierce rivalry between the Terps and the Badgers.
In their first Big Ten showdown in 2015, the 5th-ranked Badgers came into College Park and lost to the 14th ranked Terps 59-53. That game was the first of several times in which the lower ranked/seeded of the two teams upset the other. The next matchup is one that all Terps fans remember. In 2016, the Terps, ranked 3rd in the nation, strolled in to Madison, one of the toughest places in the nation to play, and won 63-60 on a pull up buzzer three by Melo Trimble. That moment, and the ensuing on court celebration, is one of the most memorable moments of recent Terrapin basketball.
Speaking of 2016, that was the year in which Maryland won the recruiting battle over Wisconsin native Diamond Stone. The highly touted recruit, a Wisconsin native, chose the Terps over the Badgers as his school of choice, much to the dismay of Wisconsin fans who thought that he would add to a long line of talented Wisconsin big men. A few years later, the Badgers got their revenge of sorts, as they knocked off the Terps in the first round of the Big Ten tournament as the lower seed. The Terps needed a win in that game to have a chance at making the NCAA tournament, and were effectively knocked out of both tournaments with a 59-54 loss to the Badgers.
An important mid-season matchup this year has the potential to add to this budding rivalry no matter the outcome. A Badgers win would give them their third win over a ranked opponent this year, and another upset over the Terrapins. A Terps win would be their first road win since February 2019 and would be a huge resume builder as road wins in the Big Ten will be harder to find than a universally loved Star Wars movie.