This weekend, the Maryland men’s basketball team will hit the road for the first time.
The Terps (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) have plenty of momentum and positive vibes after beating Ohio State, 83-59, at home in its conference opener Wednesday. Maryland led 50-17 at halftime, the largest halftime advantage in a Big Ten game since the 1996-97 season. The Terps stretched their advantage to 40 points with 15:28 left. Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 23 points and hit four threes to lead the charge.
“We had our best practice we’ve had all year yesterday,” Maryland head coach Kevin Willard said postgame. “I gave them a day off after Alcorn knowing that we’d only have one day to prepare. But they responded. They came back with a – what you saw in the first half is how we practiced yesterday. The intensity was great. We got after each other. And then, I’ve challenged Ja’Kobi a little bit. He’s got Bruce [Thornton], now he’s got Braden Smith. This league has point guard after point guard after point guard. And I thought Ja’Kobi, the way Ja’Kobi came out and set the tone, I thought that was a big difference.”
RELATED: Maryland Basketball Recruiting Scoop: Terps take the next step with a dynamic recruit
Derik Queen had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Ohio State in another big performance. Julian Reese and Selton Miguel each had 10 points, and Tafara Gapare had 12.
Next up for the Terps is No. 8 Purdue (7-2, 0-1 Big Ten), which is coming off an 81-70 loss at Penn State.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch, follow and listen to the game.
Tipoff: Noon on Sunday, Dec. 7 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana
TV: Big Ten Network
Streaming: FOX Sports
Radio: Maryland Sports Radio Network, 105.7FM (Baltimore), 980AM (D.C.) – Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Chris Knoche (analyst), Tom Marchitto (engineer)
Live Stats: Link
KenPom.com Line: Purdue -4
Just two spots separate Maryland (No. 19) and Purdue (No. 17) in the KenPom ratings. The final score of Purdue’s last game was closer than it looked; the Boilermakers trailed by 27 points with just 9:49 remaining. Winning on the road in the Big Ten? It’s hard.
Purdue is No. 9 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 55 in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Boilermakers are shooting 41.7% from three, the eighth-best mark nationally.
With Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer back in the fold, Purdue’s starting backcourt is the same for the third season in a row. Willard mentioned Wednesday that he challenged Gillespie to play to the likes of Bruce Thornton and Smith, and now he will get a chance to prove himself against the latter.
Smith is averaging 12 points, 4.9 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. He is third in the nation in assists per game and first nationally in assist rate at 47.6%. Smith is shooting just 40.2% from the field, though. He has made 39% of his threes – a good number – but just 41.3% of his two-point attempts. The preseason Big Ten player of the year was limited to just six points at Penn State.
Loyer is posting 13.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and two assists per game. He has had no problem putting the ball through the hoop, shooting 48.6% from the field and a scorching 54.5% from three. But like Smith, he is struggling a bit with his twos (43.9%).
Not a subscriber? Stop missing out on the scoop and save 50% with our limited-time holiday promo!
Big man Trey Kaufman-Renn currently ranks 10th in the KenPom national player of the year standings. He is averaging 18.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He is not much of a rim protector, though, with just one block on the season and 14 blocks last year.
Kaufman-Renn has played 48% of Purdue’s minutes at center over the past five games, per KenPom, but the Boilermakers have plenty of size to match up with Reese and Queen.
The 6-foot-10 Caleb Furst is back as a senior, but he averages just 4.3 points per game and played only eight minutes against Penn State. There’s 7-foot-2 sophomore center Will Berg, who played 10 minutes against Penn State but did not play in Purdue’s previous two games; he is averaging 3.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Six-foot-11 freshman forward Raleigh Burgess played 12 minutes against Penn State, scoring four points; he did not play in Purdue’s prior game and is averaging 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Seven-foot-4 freshman Daniel Jacobsen is out for the season.
Sophomore forward Camden Heide, 6-foot-7, has started the last four games at the four. He is averaging six points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He was held scoreless in 20 minutes against Penn State.
Freshman guard Gicarri Harris started Purdue’s first five games, and sophomore guard Myles Colvin has started the last four at the three-spot. Colvin is averaging 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 53.2% from the field and 45.2% from three. Harris is averaging 3.8 points per game and shooting just 35.1% from the field and 17.4% from deep.
CJ Cox, another freshman guard, has earned more minutes as of late. The 6-foot-3 three-star prospect scored 12 points against Penn State. He played 18 minutes against Alabama earlier this season and sparked a win with a 12-point performance.
Purdue should be motivated after coming off its worst performance of the season. Mackey Arena is one of the toughest places to play in the country, and Maryland has not won there since Jan. 10, 2015. Maryland and Purdue have played great games, though Matt Painter and the Boilermakers lead the series, 9-6. The Terps will not be expected to win on the road Sunday, though a competitive game would be encouraging. If Maryland can beat a top-10 team in a hostile environment, the public perception of the Terps’ ceiling will change drastically.
Before you go …
— Save $20 on your SeatGeek purchase of tickets to Maryland games or any major events with code “IMS” at checkout!
— Get the latest Terps news delivered to your inbox FREE! Sign up for our email newsletter here and stay informed on Maryland basketball, football, recruiting and every other Terps storyline.
— Support Maryland basketball’s recruiting and player-retention efforts by joining TurtleNIL!
— Follow IMS on Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok and Instagram.
— Don’t miss any of our new video Terps content: Subscribe to InsideMDSports on YouTube and hit the notification bell so you know when new videos drop.
– Need a go-to Terps podcast? Listen to IMS Radio here, watch earlier episodes here and don’t forget to subscribe to IMS Radio on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon Music | TuneIn | Apple Podcasts
