The Maryland Terrapins (19-9, 10-7 Big 10) host the No. 21 Northwestern Wildcats (20-7, 11-5 Big 10) Sunday in a matchup of slow-paced teams. Northwestern blew out the Iowa Hawkeyes 80-60 at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday, their fifth straight win. With 23 points and eight assists, Boo Buie was a top performer.
The Wildcats are second in the Big Ten Conference. Maryland won their 10th in a row at home in impressive fashion on Wednesday at Xfinity Center, beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 88-70. Julian Reese topped the scoresheet with 21 points.
With 20 points and six assists, Hakim Hart also impressed. The Terrapins remain third in the Big Ten Conference. This marks the only meeting of the season between the teams. Northwestern and Maryland split their matchups last season, each team winning one game. The Terrapins won the last meeting 94-87 in double overtime at Welsh-Ryan Arena in January 2022.
Eric Ayala led the Terrapins with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Pete Nance had 28 points and 14 rebounds in defeat.The Wildcats have been led this season by Buie and Chase Audige, who are averaging 17.0 and 14.8 points per game, respectively.
Buie also has dished 4.6 assists per game. Meanwhile, Matthew Nicholson is grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game. Jahmir Young (16.1 ppg) has been the primary provider for the Terrapins on offense. Young also has recorded 3.4 assists per game. Reese has averaged 6.8 rebounds per game.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance in this matchup that showcases a pair of the NCAA’s slowest-paced teams, as the Terrapins and the Wildcats rank 326th and 312th, respectively, in possessions per game.
In the last 10 games, Northwestern is 8-2 with an average margin of +4.1 (67.7-63.6). Maryland has a 7-3 record over the last 10, scoring 71.1 points per game on average while allowing 60.2 (+10.9 margin).
WILDCATS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Julian Roper II: 0.0 | 5.3 | -5.3
Points per game:
Brooks Barnhizer: 9.4 | 6.4 | +3.0
Robbie Beran: 6.0 | 8.2 | -2.2
Rebounds per game:
Matthew Nicholson: 3.2 | 5.6 | -2.4
TERRAPINS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Hakim Hart: 24.6 | 18.9 | +5.7
Don Carey: 5.6 | 9.5 | -3.9
Points per game:
Hakim Hart: 16.4 | 12.1 | +4.3
Don Carey: 3.8 | 6.5 | -2.7
Rebounds per game:
Julian Reese: 9.4 | 6.8 | +2.6
Assists per game:
Jahmir Young: 4.6 | 3.4 | +1.2
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Northwestern +6.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
