Opponent: No. 17 Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-4, 4-4 Big Ten)
Location: Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Tipoff: 2:00 EST, Saturday, January 23
Last matchup: February 26, 2020 — Maryland 74-73
Last game: Maryland lost to Michigan 87-63; Minnesota defeat Michigan 75-57
Line: Minnesota -7 per OddsShark
TV: BTN — Dave Revsine (Play-by-Play), Len Elmore (Analyst)
Stream: Fox Sports Go
Radio: Maryland Sports Radio Network (105.7 FM Baltimore, 980 AM D.C., TuneIn Radio App) — Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Chris Knoche (analyst), Walt Williams (analyst)
What to watch for Maryland: Defense
To say Maryland’s defense has struggled this season would be an understatement. The Terps have the No. 99 defense in the country according to KenPom, which is the second-worst rank in the Big Ten and pales in comparison to last season when they finished with the N0. 22 defense on KenPom. Minnesota is a near unstoppable offense when playing at home this season, and are averaging just under 84 points per home Big Ten game this season. The Terps will have to bring their A-game on defense.
What to watch for Minnesota: Marcus Carr
Last season, Marcus Carr and Daniel Oturu were one of the best duos in the Big Ten. This season, after Oturu’s departure to the NBA, Carr has stepped up and become a potential All-American, averaging 20.6 points, 5.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Minnesota has capable role players in Both Gach and Liam Robbins, but if Carr doesn’t get going it will be tough for the Gophers to win.
