Women's basketball tipoff: No. 17 MSU at Maryland
What: No. 17 MSU at Maryland
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Xfinity Center (College Park, Md.)
Radio: WJIM 1240-AM
Coaches: MSU — Suzy Merchant is 397-211 in her 21st season overall and 196-91 in her ninth with the Spartans. Maryland — Brenda Frese is 417-136 in her 17th season overall and 360-106 in her 14th with the Terrapins.
Records: MSU is 18-4, 8-2 Big Ten. Maryland is 20-2, 9-1 Big Ten.
Series: Maryland leads 6-0. including a 70-60 win over the Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament last March.
MSU
C (4) Jasmine Hines (6-3) 10.2
F (45) Akyah Taylor (5-11) 5.7
F (23) Aerial Powers (6-0) 20.1
G (1) Tori Jankoska (5-8) 16.4
G (10) Branndais Agee (5-11) 11.7
Maryland
C (5) Malina Howard (6-4) 5.1
F (42) Brionna Jones (6-3) 14.5
G (12) Kristen Confroy (5-9) 8.2
G (15) Chloe Pavlech (5-9) 2.0
G (32) Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (5-11) 19.0
MSU update: Merchant is closing in on wins milestones and has the Spartans surging in the middle stages of Big Ten play in what's been a big bounce-back season after injuries derailed last year. If MSU is to win a second Big Ten regular-season crown in three years, Friday's contest against the Maryland will be pivotal. The game is the middle contest of three games in a five-day stretch for MSU, which got things started Wednesday with a 21-point victory over Michigan.
Maryland update: The Terrapins are the hottest team in the Big Ten and have won eight straight since opening 2016 with a home loss to Ohio State. That loss to the Buckeyes was the only conference loss Maryland has suffered since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Maryland, which last month earned its 900th win in program history, has been dominant during its win streak and won seven games by at least 17 points. The Terps, who are coming off an 87-67 win over Purdue, are the top scoring team in the Big Ten (85.9 points per game) and rank second in scoring defense (56.9 points).
Matchups:
Backcourts: Jankoska has embraced taking on the toughest defensive assignment among the opposition's backcourt and has done well in that area for the Spartans. After helping limit the impact of Michigan's Katelynn Flaherty on Wednesday, Jankoska has another tough test in Walker-Kimbrough, who is coming off a career-best, 41-point game in Tuesday's win over Purdue. Walker-Kimbrough is the top offensive option among Maryland's starting guards. Agee is coming off a career-best, 20-point performance for MSU and has been a difference maker all season. Edge: Even
Frontcourts: Powers, the reigning Big Ten player of the week, is surging and playing like one of the nation's best players. She has scored at least 25 points in three straight games and is shooting 60 percent (28 of 46) during that stretch. Jones is one of the nation's top post players and was Powers' teammate on the World University Games team that won gold in South Korea last summer. Jones is shooting 65.7 percent from the field and averaging a double-double in Big Ten play (14.1 points, 11.0 rebounds). Taylor has been an unsung part of MSU's success, especially from a defensive standpoint. She is an X-factor. Edge: Even
Benches: Green returned to the Spartan lineup Wednesday and was a key contributor with 10 points off the bench against Michigan. She's provided a nice change of pace presence running MSU's offense and her presence will be key against the Terps. Maryland is a deep team and has plenty of scoring punch among its reserves. Brene Mosely has come off the bench in all 22 games this season and is the Terps' third-leading scorer at 12.5 points per game. Tierney Pfirman has also been a big scorer among Maryland's reserves. Edge: Maryland
Prediction: The Spartans and Terps own the longest win streaks in the Big Ten and should play a tight contest. MSU has shown it's capable of winning these games with close calls at Ohio State and against Baylor, but fall just short.
Make it: Maryland 72, MSU 67
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.