Indiana Basketball vs Maryland: Know your opponent, preview, and prediction
Indiana Basketball will face off against the Maryland Terrapins Sunday in a quick turnaround after their triumphant victory over Michigan State.
Indiana basketball is coming off of its best win of the season after topping the Spartans, winning 67-63. It was a thrilling victory that came down to a matter of inches when MSU forward Xavier Tillman barely missed a layup to tie the game with only seconds remaining. It was far from a perfect game from the Hoosiers, but they did more than enough to get the job done against a tough opponent.
Maryland is 3-2 since defeating the Hoosiers at the beginning of January, and is on a two-game winning streak. In that stretch, they triumphed over Ohio State, Purdue, and Northwestern – though down by 14 at the half, and lost to Iowa and Wisconsin on the road.
The last time these two teams played one another was ugly for Indiana. They lost 59-75 and struggled on both ends of the court, going on a signature long scoring drought in the process.
Indiana has significantly picked up their play in recent games, however, due in large part to the insertion of Rob Phinisee into the starting lineup.
Maryland is led by the talented duo of senior guard Anthony Cowen and sophomore forward Jalen Smith, with guard Aaron Wiggins also contributing in big ways. Smith got the best of IU in the first matchup, recording 19 points and eight rebounds.
Talent runs deep on the Terrapin roster; they have seven former top 100 players in high school, with Smith being the highest ranked at number 16. They are a dangerous team with multiple contributors that can beat you on any given night.
Key Storylines
Indiana
Keep the momentum rolling. After beating Nebraska on the road and Michigan State at home, it feels like the Hoosiers are beginning to turn into the best versions of themselves. Archie Miller has found lineups that work by sitting Devonte Green more, starting Rob Phinisee, and giving freshmen Armaan Franklin and Jerome Hunter more minutes. This methodology will be tested again against a really good Maryland team. If the Hoosiers can win this game, it would take their already high confidence through the roof. Again, the frontcourt battle could define the game.
Maryland
Can Maryland succeed where Michigan State failed? This year in the Big Ten, no road game is easy, especially when it’s at Assembly Hall. Indiana came out of the tunnel with more effort than Michigan State and kept the same attitude all game. That defense and hustle identity that Archie Miller had with his Dayton teams is beginning to show with Indiana. Maryland will need to find a way to score against what has been a fantastic defensive team since the first matchup five games ago. They’ll need to come out with a high effort level, win 50/50 balls, and capitalize on easy opportunities- all things Michigan State struggled with.
Next. Hoosiers finally have something to hang hat on; defense. dark
Key Players
Indiana
Trayce Jackson-Davis (14.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Justin Smith (11.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Joey Brunk (8.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
Maryland
Anthony Cowan (15.4 ppg, 4.3 apg), Jalen Smith (14.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg), Aaron Wiggins (10.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg)