Preview: Maryland basketball set for rematch vs. Michigan in Big Ten semifinal

Maryland (25-7, 14-6) vs. Michigan (22-9, 14-6)

When & Where: 25 minutes after Michigan/Wisconsin (~3:30 PM) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse

TV: CBS | Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, Tracy Wolfson

Radio: One Maryland App | 105.7 FM (Baltimore) | 980 AM (DC)

Betting: Maryland -3.5 | O/U: 150.5 (FanDuel)

Roughly 25 minutes after the end of Michigan-Wisconsin, set for a 1 PM start, Maryland will face Michigan for the second time this season and ever in the Big Ten Tournament, giving the Wolverines a chance to avenge their late-season loss in Ann Arbor. As for Maryland, they’re looking to keep the train rolling after they’re coming off the program’s largest winning margin in Big Ten Tournament history following a 23-point win vs. Illinois for their fourth consecutive win. Third-seed Michigan, meanwhile, is coming off an 18-point win vs. Purdue to close out day three of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday.

Maryland will now look to reach the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the first time ever, though it’s been 21 years since Maryland reached a conference championship game after taking down Duke, 95-87, in Greensboro.

Maryland won round one against Michigan in the final week of the Big Ten regular season, with a nail biting victory ending in a 71-65 score. Maryland built a healthy 11-point lead going into the locker room at halftime, but a few second half runs from the Wolverines made the game much closer than anticipated for Willard and the Crab Five. 

The combo of Goldin and Wolf was at times overwhelming for Maryland to try to defend, regardless of whether they implemented a zone look or tried to man up on both bigs. Wolf and Goldin each finished with 20 points, however they received very little offensive support from the rest of the Michigan rotation, which in the end was the difference.

In Ann Arbor, Rodney Rice, Selton Miguel, and Derik Queen were all able to find their way into double-figure scoring outings, while Reese and Gillespie seemed to be shooting at a basket with a lid on it the entire night. Both Gillespie and Reese, however, were able to avenge this frustrating singular performance with big time scoring outputs in the following game against Northwestern on Senior Day, so the hope for Terps Nation is that their struggles from the field have been put to sleep. 

But Friday’s win vs. Purdue snapped a three-game losing streak to end the regular season for Michigan. As Michigan looks to climb over .500 against ranked opponents this season, Maryland will look for its ninth Quad One win of the season in hopes of moving to a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Reese will also be playing with some added motivation after being left off the All-Defense squad and all of the three All-Big Ten teams. This came to the surprise of many, as Reese had by far his best season in four years at Maryland, and was one of the best interior defenders and rebounders in the entire conference, and arguably the entire country. 

Saturday will be a test of whether Maryland can stay consistent and limit Michigan to only Wolf, who finished just shy of his fifth consecutive 20-point game with 18 points vs. Purdue, and Goldin being threats offensively. Whether Michigan’s backcourt and bench pieces can find ways to attack will also be a storyline after the Wolverines shot nearly 52% from the field, but whether the Terps’ defense can stifle another high scoring offense in consecutive days will test head coach Kevin Willard’s defense heading into the NCAA Tournament.

By: Oliver Schaack

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