Less than one week after Maryland fans criticized attendance for the Sunday afternoon blowout win vs. Iowa, the Terps’ fanbase drew praise from both college basketball analyst John Fanta and Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
"You’ve got Scott Van Pelt courtside cheering you on. He’s so into it and I love it about him. Maryland basketball, when they're cooking, they're one of the brands that's fun in the sport,” Fanta said on Monday’s episode of Pardon My Take. “That fan base is electric. They're going to be all over us talking about them right here, right now. I think they're dangerous. You know why? They're not over reliant on any one or two pieces to win. They've got a nice complimentary balance to their group, in terms of they don't say, 'we gotta get post scoring.' No. They use the drives to kick and hit threes. And because they're hitting threes, Maryland can go deep."
Hours later, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo pointed to the Xfinity Center’s expected atmosphere as “Illinois, Michigan on steroids” as he previewed the matchup.
“You remember that student section on the end, it's impressive,” Izzo said on Monday.
Izzo did, however, hint at what the Spartans’ gameplan could be to counter the Terps’ limited depth beyond the starting five.
“Hopefully we can take it at them a little in there and get somebody in foul trouble with the extra depth we have."
What does Izzo seeing as a battle for the Spartans?
“I still think it'll come down to us not turning it over. They play some pressing, zone pressing. They'll play a little zone. They'll play a lot of aggressive man. I think Kevin [Willard's] done a good job with this team, putting them together and – but we're excited too. They haven't lost a home game, I think, since early in November against Marquette. If you remember a few years ago, we went there when Cassius [Winston] was here, and when they're winning, that place is rocking. And I think it'll be rocking," Izzo added.
Maryland will look to snap a six-game losing streak against Michigan State in what’s now set as a top-20 matchup at Xfinity and arguably the biggest game since the Purdue win during Kevin Willard’s first season with the program. While the Spartans are coming off convincing wins against Purdue and Michigan last week, Maryland will look to stay hot as winners in four consecutive games and a chance to remain perfect in conference play at home.
“They rest their guys, I guess sometimes because they'll run, and then if they don't have a break, they'll walk it up,” Izzo said. “They'll play some zone, I think, to give their guys some breathers. There's no question our depth should help us, but their talent is at a high level. Like I said, most coaches I talk to in the league say they may be the most talented starting five in our league. I don't know, our league, I mean, you look at it and it's just so many good teams, and yet so many teams have gone up and down a little bit, but I'm expecting them to be aggressive. I'm expecting the place to be rocking, and I'm expecting them to come at us, and that's why we're going to pray [and] prepare."
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