Who: Maryland Terrapins (21-4, 9-3 Big Ten) at Northwestern Wildcats (19-6, 8-4 Big Ten)
When: Feb. 15, 2017, 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois
Channel: Big Ten Network
Stream: BTN2Go
This sentence would have been pretty weird to read before the season, but it is now undoubtedly true: Northwestern is one of Maryland’s biggest games of the season. The Wildcats currently sit two games out of first in the Big Ten and are just coming off one of their biggest victories in program history — beating Wisconsin in the Kohl Center. A win for Northwestern would all but guarantee its first appearance in the NCAA tournament, while a win for Maryland would give them a chance to return to first in the Big Ten if they beat Wisconsin.
What to watch on Maryland’s side
Melo Trimble has been ice cold when it comes to shooting in Maryland’s last three games. Trimble is shooting 28.2 percent on field goals, and is hitting only 14.3 percent of his threes. Trimble’s subpar shooting was covered up in Maryland’s win over Ohio State, thanks to Jaylen Brantley, Kevin Huerter and Anthony Cowan all making over 50 percent of their shots from the field. Ultimately, there is enough talent around Trimble that he does not need to have a strong game shooting for Maryland to win. However, in a road atmosphere for a team that can taste the NCAA tournament, a big game from Maryland’s leader would go a long way toward Maryland winning.
What to watch on Northwestern’s side
The go-to guy for Northwestern’s offense is Bryant McIntosh. The junior leads Northwestern in minutes played, field goals attempted and assists. In fact, only two players in the Big Ten have played more minutes than McIntosh. He is 12th in the conference for scoring per game, and no one in the conference dishes more assists per game than McIntosh’s 5.6. Northwestern’s offense runs through McIntosh, so the Terps’ first task if they want to beat the Wildcats will be stopping their point guard.
