MSU Aims to End Maryland’s 13-Game Home Winning Streak

Michigan State, now the sole conference leader, travels to College Park for their only matchup against 3rd place Maryland (*owns tiebreaker over WIS).

3rd year Head Coach, Kevin Willard has his Terrapins playing exquisitely well as they wager a 13-game home barn victories. Coach Izzo had quite to say about them post game Friday evening after an emotional and tough-fought win on the road at Michigan. Between then and Sunday, he had this to saw about their upcoming opponent in another ranked game:

“But as far as Maryland goes, this might be the best starting five in the league,” Izzo said. “If you look at three guards that are shooting over 40% from the three, [Selton] Miguel and [Rodney] Rice, and [Ja’Kobi] Gillespie is as talented as any guard in this league. And then their two bigs are guys that we’ve – played against [Julian] Reese for three years. This is his fourth year. He’s big, strong. He’s gained weight, he’s averaging 14 and nine. And [Derik] Queen is talked about being a lottery pick. He’s big. He’s a freshman. He may be as good as any in the league. He’s averaging 16. So they’re averaging 16, 30 points and nine, nine and a half rebounds between the two of them.

I think that also just about covers most of what Maryland will bring to the table Wednesday night. Metrically speaking, the Terrapins are just as well rounded on both sides of the ball. Additionally, this team seems as cohesive and complete as Michigan State. KenPom has MSU 23rd in ORtg and 12th in DRtg while the Terps are 17th and 20th, respectively. The rather intriguing stat is that Maryland played almost nobody in non-conference as their NCSOS Net Rtg checks in at 360th, but they are cleaning up conference play, elevating their play to a higher level and emerging as a threat to MSU, Michigan and Wisconsin, having already beaten the Badgers. Turnovers could be the margin’s edge in a close finish as MSU protects the ball well, owning a 28th ranked Assists:Turnover ratio at 1.481 while they hold their opponents to 1.116 (174th), averaging 17.4 apg to Maryland’s 15.1 apg, but Maryland owns a better turnover percentage at 12.9% to MSU’s 14.5%. Who will protect the ball better and limit self-inflicted turnovers while squeezing every point off those turnovers?

The whole country was put on notice last Friday 👀 pic.twitter.com/f2zplVJk19

— Michigan State Country (@CountryMichSt) February 24, 2025

TALE OF THE TERPS

The Terrapins are on a four-game winning streak. Derik Queen is the leading scorer for Maryland, averaging 15.9 points per game, and also contributes significantly with 9.1 rebounds per game. Julian Reese is another key player, leading the team in rebounds with 9.3 per game. Ja’Kobi Gillespie is the top assist provider, averaging 4.8 assists per game.

Who To Watch

1) Jase Richardson vs. Derik Queen: Richardson’s scoring ability will be crucial for Michigan State, while Queen’s all-around game will be vital for Maryland.
2) Jaxon Kohler vs. Julian Reese: The battle of the big men will be intense, with both players being key rebounders and defenders for their respective teams.
3) Jeremy Fears Jr. vs. Ja’Kobi Gillespie: The point guard matchup will be interesting, with Fears Jr.’s playmaking abilities going up against Gillespie’s defensive prowess.

X-Factor: Frankie Fidler- in a game of possible offense and transition points, Fidler could have an opportunity to showcase his scoring prowess from his Omaha days. While his defensive rise has been very noticeable, he’s shown his ability to his outside shots and finish in transition while going hard to the lane. His free-throw shooting has been totally clutch hitting 35-39 from the charity stripe at an impressive 89.7% rate. If few outside shots fall along with his ability to hit some mid-range shots and 3-5 free throws, he could be looking at a healthy stat line, in addition to the energy and defensive tenacity he brings.

That crowd pop on the road… pic.twitter.com/uTPDvAVNtQ

— Moneybagg (@MoneybaggH0E) February 24, 2025

Maryland’s starters log heavy minutes with none averaging fewer than 27.5 mpg and only 3 bench players tallying 11.4 and 15.8 mpg. Will this be another battle of attrition and rotating in fresh legs? One thing is for sure, Jaden Aikns and Xavier Booker need to bring it. Aikns has regressed as a shooter this year at an alarming rate and has been struggling defensively guarding the perimeter and getting beat off the dribble. As for Booker, he’s has seemingly lost himself on defense with missed assignments, little-to-no box outs allowing rebounds and a similar cold streak from the outside coupled with his free throw struggles leave many scratching their heads from this 5-star recruit who possesses all the length and athleticism in the world. Strength in numbers is only effective when they’re contributing and it will take all 10 regulars and their A-game, to have a chance to win it, late. Time to rally the wagons and beat the drums…and perhaps the football pads were out one more time.

Record/Rankings & More:

22-5 (12-3, 1st-Big Ten) Rankings: #8 AP / #8 Coaches Poll

Updated KenPom- Off: 23rd / Def: 12th. Adjusted Tempo: 173rd. SOS Net Rtg: 40th +10.64

Updated Bart Torvik- ADJOE: 28th/ADJDE: 15th / EFF.FGD%: 46.3 (18th) / ORBD %: 36.8 (13th) & DRBD %: 25.8 (20th)

Other Metrics: KPI (8th), ESPN SoR (8th), ESPN BPI (12th), T-Rank: 15th — #8 in FT % (79.9%), #9 in FTM/game (18.0)/ #33 in FTA/game (22.5)

FULL KenPom Stats: https://kenpom.com/index.php

FULL Bart Torvik Stats: https://barttorvik.com/#

FULL T-Rank Stats: https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2025/net-teamsheets-plus#google_vignette