No. 17-seed Maryland men’s basketball erupted in the first half Tuesday, holding Oregon to just three field goals in the entire first half. But the Terps won’t get much respite, as they turn their attention to a familiar foe in No. 9-seed Iowa.
It’s not often that two teams play one another three times in a single campaign, but the Terps and Hawkeyes are certainly familiar at this point. With barely any rest, it will be a tough challenge for a Maryland team that has already played twice in the last
four days.
Wednesday’s game will begin at 12 p.m. and stream on Peacock.
What happened last time
Maryland garnered their marquee win of the season the last time the two programs faced off in early February, emerging as 77-70 victors. The Terps were already on a bit of a roll at that point, having come off an away win against Minnesota in which Diggy Coit delivered the dagger shot.
But in the contest against the Hawkeyes, it was primarily Andre Mills that seized the spotlight. The freshman guard was in the outset of his hot streak, and he tallied a then-career-high of 24 points to go along with five rebounds.
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa’s stellar point guard and more-than-capable scorer, registered a team-high 32 points, to go with four rebounds and six assists. He was also the team’s leading scorer in Maryland and Iowa’s first matchup back in early December.
The Terps were also dominant in the paint, winning the rebound battle, 34-25. Solomon Washington, Elijah Saunders and Collin Metcalf each snagged eight boards.
It was Coit and Saunders who ultimately delivered the game-winning blows. Coit hit a triple and a pair of free throws before Saunders extended the advantage with a late three. Saunders’ impressive 3-point shooting as of late could come in handy again.
What’s happened since
After that contest, Maryland closed out the regular season with just one more win — a thrilling 64-60 defeat of Washington that saw Mills throw down a last-second alley-oop jam courtesy of Guillermo Del Pino.
But the Terps struggled, too, losing to Rutgers at Xfinity Center after already having fallen to the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway earlier in the season. Maryland closed out the campaign with two tough tough opponents — Wisconsin and No. 11 Illinois. In the latter match, the Terps kept things extremely close, playing Keaton Wagler and the Illini tight but losing 78-72.
Meanwhile, Iowa’s loss to Maryland snapped a six-game winning streak, during which it beat the likes of Indiana and USC, among others. The Hawkeyes also had a tough gauntlet to finish the season. They were routed by then-No. 13 Purdue, 78-57 in the very next game.
Losses to then-No. 24 Wisconsin and No. 3 Michigan slid Iowa down in the conference standings — the loss to the Wolverines was by just three points. The Hawkeyes also gifted Penn State one of its three Big Ten wins, but also split against now-No. 11 Nebraska.
Three things to watch
1. Controlling the glass. The last time these two teams battled, Maryland was the superior in the paint, and it was instrumental in the win. The Terps were also hungry on the boards Tuesday, and that helped them forge a ton of momentum in the first half. It will be interesting to see if Maryland can get out to a fast start in a similar fashion.
2. Stopping Stirtz. It may be far easier said than done, but the Terps contained Big Ten Freshman of the Year Wagler just a few days ago — both Wagler and Stirtz are guards. Tavion Banks is the only other Hawkeye to average over 10 points (10.5), so halting Stirtz in any way will make the uphill battle a little easier for Maryland.
3. Playing on no rest. Maryland played with a short bench Tuesday. Nine players saw the court, with Isaiah Watts and Del Pino only seeing a combined six minutes. It will be worth watching whether that alters Williams’ lineup decisions or rotations, or affects the shooting or stamina of any of the players.
