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Michigan State at Maryland: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

By Anthony Brown

COLUMBUS, OHIO - FEBRUARY 23: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins watches his team in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena on February 23, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - FEBRUARY 23: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins watches his team in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena on February 23, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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ESPN College Gameday will be live in College Park as the Maryland Terrapins have their biggest home game of the year against the Michigan State Spartans.

Who: 9. Maryland Terrapins 23-5 (13-4 Big Ten) vs. 24. Michigan State Spartans 19-9 (11-6 Big Ten)

When: Saturday, February 29th at 8 pm ET

Where: Xfinity Center in College Park, MD

TV Schedule: ESPN

The Maryland Terrapins are the last undefeated Big Ten home team. They are looking to make it 16-0  with a win over the Michigan State Spartans. Both teams are gaining momentum as the season is coming to a close.

Anthony Cowan Jr. broke Maryland great Keith Booth’s record of 126 consecutive starts Wednesday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He recorded 10 points and nine assists. Darryl Morsell knocked down the big shot to beat them 74-73 on the road. He scored 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds.  Three other Terps scored in double figures.

The Michigan State Spartans beat 18th ranked Iowa behind Rocket Watts, Cassius Winston and Aaron Henry’s double-figure scoring performances. Xavier Tillman had the tough task of guarding arguably the best Big Ten big man in Luka Garza. He was ready for the challenge and performed well when they switched on one another. Despite Garza scoring 20 points, the Spartans pulled out the win. They are ranked 13th in the NET and have a 6-8 record in quadrant one. Check out their NET team sheet.

Anthony Cowan Jr. led the Maryland Terrapins to victory over the Spartans in the Breslin Center February 15. He scored the last 11 points of the game to cap a 14-0 run. Including that come from behind win, the Terps have won seven games when down by double digits. Minnesota was the most recent. Rhode Island (home), Harvard (neutral), Illinois (home and away) and Northwestern (road) are the others. The Maryland Terrapins are ranked 10th in the NET with a 7-5  record in quadrant one. Check out their NET team sheet.

The Spartans have the opportunity to bring balance to the Big Ten by handing the Terps their first home loss. They can do that by getting Smith and Cowan Jr. into foul trouble early, closing down on perimeter shots and getting everything they can from Winston, Tillman and Watts offensively.

Players to Watch (Maryland)

  • No. 1  Anthony Cowan Jr.  – 16.2 PPG, 4.8 APG
  • No. 25 Jalen Smith – 15.2 PPG, 10.5 APG
  • No. 2 Aaron Wiggins  – 10.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG
  • No. 11 Daryll Morsell – 8.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG

Players to Watch (Michigan State)

  • No. 5 Cassius Winston  – 18.4 PPG, 5.8 APG
  • No. 23 Xavier Tillman – 13.3 PPG, 10.1 RPG
  • No. 11 Aaron Henry –  9.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG
  • No. 2 Rocket Watts – 8.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG

Next. Big Ten bubble (Buy or Sell). dark

For these two teams, the fight is on to win the Big Ten regular-season title. College Park will be ready for an exciting matchup between two of the best teams the conference has to offer.

Prediction: Michigan State 79 – Maryland 73

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