Who: Minnesota Golden Gophers (20-7, 8-6 Big Ten) at #24 Maryland Terrapins (22-5, 10-4 Big Ten)
When: Wednesday February 21, 8:30 p.m. EST
Where: Xfinity Center, College Park, Maryland
Channel: Big Ten Network
Stream: BTN2Go
Last Matchup: #22 Maryland won 85-78 against Minnesota at the Barn on January 28th. Justin Jackson notched a career-high 28 points.
After playing five out of their last seven on the road, Maryland finally gets to finish out the regular season playing three out of their last four games at home. Maryland struggled in Madison, falling to the then #11 Wisconsin 71-60 after getting outscored by 17 points in the second half. Rarely have we seen the Maryland offense totally depend on star guard Melo Trimble to single-handedly carry the offense, but the Badgers size and experience made Maryland’s freshmen uncomfortable. Cowan, Huerter and Jackson only attributed 16 points on 25 percent shooting from the floor, while Trimble had 27 by himself. The team could use a bounce back game against Minnesota.
What to watch for on Maryland’s side:
Michal Cekovsky suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the second half of Sunday’s matchup, leaving the Terps with one less big man. Maryland needs Damonte Dodd to step up and prove that he can be a reliable force. In Maryland’s last matchup against Minnesota, Dodd barely played due to foul trouble and enough multiple lane violations to nearly lose the game for the Terps. The center cannot seem to escape foul trouble, forcing Coach Turgeon to have a short leash on him, which without Ceko he can no longer afford to do. Dodd is the superior defender and shot-blocker to Bender, but he has to stay on the court to be a game-changer.
What to watch for on Minnesota’s side:
Despite Minnesota’s easy run recently, they still have not lost since the Terps were in town. Sophomore Jordan Murphy has been unstoppable in his last four contests, averaging 18 points and 15 rebounds per game. Although his stats were pedestrian when these two teams last met (10 points, four rebounds and two blocks), Murphy is a guy who will fight for the ball harder than anyone else on the court. This could prove to be a challenge for Maryland, who usually struggles to grab defensive rebounds.
Minnesota has been on fire, and if Maryland thinks this game is a step down from their last three games (Purdue, Northwestern, Wisconsin) they could be in for a long night.
