Michigan State at Maryland tipoff: How to watch, preview, prediction
•What: Michigan State at Maryland
•When: 1 p.m. Sunday
•Where: Xfinity Center, College Park, Maryland
•TV/Radio: Fox/Spartan Sports Network, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; Sirius/XM Ch. 84
•Records/Rankings: MSU is 19-3 overall, 7-2 in the Big Ten and ranked No. 6 in both major polls; Maryland is 15-7 overall, 4-5 in the Big Ten and unranked.
•Coaches: MSU — Tom Izzo is 562-223 in his 23rd season, all with the Spartans. Maryland — Mark Turgeon is 403-234 in his 20th season as a head coach, including 153-75 in his seventh season with the Terps.
•Series: MSU leads 7-5 all-time, including a 91-61 in win on Jan. 4 at Breslin Center.
MSU
Pos. | Name | PPG |
C (44) | Nick Ward (6-8) | 14.0 |
F (2) | Jaren Jackson Jr. (6-11) | 11.9 |
G (22) | Miles Bridges (6-7) | 18.0 |
G (1) | Joshua Langford (6-5) | 12.7 |
G (5) | Cassius Winston (6-0) | 12.4 |
Maryland
Pos. | Name | PPG |
C (15) | Michal Cekovsky (7-1) | 7.2 |
F (23) | Bruno Fernando (6-10) | 9.8 |
G (4) | Kevin Huerter (6-7) | 14.2 |
G (10) | Darryl Morsell (6-4) | 8.7 |
G (1) | Anthony Cowan Jr. (6-0) | 16.4 |
•MSU update: Over the last three games, Miles Bridges is averaging 25.7 points, having made 28 of 39 shots, including 10 of 16 3-pointers. It’s the most dominating stretch of his college career. Not so coincidentally, the Spartans are easily 3-0 in those three games, beating Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin all by double digits. Freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. has scored in double figures in 10 straight games. His four blocked shots against the Badgers on Friday night gave him 75 for the season, setting a new MSU single-season record.
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•Maryland update: The Terrapins have lost three of their last four games — all of the losses coming on the road — and three of five since their 30-point defeat at Breslin Center on Jan. 4. They did nearly knock off Michigan in Ann Arbor during that stretch. This game, however, is in College Park, where Maryland has won eight straight, including three in a row in Big Ten play. The Terrapins have had an injury-plagued season and are the quintessential NCAA tournament bubble team. They lack quality wins. Beating MSU would help.
•About the matchup: The last time these two teams met, just three weeks ago, the Spartans hit a season-high 16 3-pointers in a blow-out home win. On the road in a rematch, this figures to be a stiffer test. Cassius Winston’s performance against Maryland’s Anthony Cowan will be key. Cowan got the better of Winston in the first matchup, scoring 26 points. One question for Maryland is the health of freshman big man Bruno Fernando, who sprained an ankle against Indiana on Monday. Mark Turgeon says he’s a game-time decision. Fernando struggled in the first matchup but is a big body and decent athlete.
•Prediction: This is a telling game for the Spartans, who haven’t played a road game against a team capable of knocking them off since their three-game slump earlier this month. If MSU is all the way back — and it looks that way — we’ll probably know it by Sunday afternoon.
» Make it: MSU 76, Maryland 70
— Graham Couch