Big Ten Tournament first-round preview: Maryland men’s basketball vs. Rutgers

Maryland men’s basketball begins postseason play Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. As bottom-four teams in the conference, the No. 12-seeded Terps and No. 13-seeded Scarlet Knights will compete in one of the two first-round games.

Game information

When: Wednesday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Target Center — Minneapolis, Minnesota

Streaming: Peacock

How did they get here?

No. 12-seed Maryland Terrapins (15-16, 7-13 Big Ten)

Maryland entered the season with heightened expectations compared to years past. Second-year head coach Kevin Willard returned three of five starters from last season’s team which reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Maryland got off to a tumultuous start to the season, losing both of its games in the Asheville Championship, which it was favored to win. Its rocky start to the season was only a sign of things to come. The Terps would soon be blown out by Villanova and Indiana.

The Terps stumbled their way through Big Ten play, constantly fighting from behind in the standings. Sitting in 12th place before their regular-season finale at Penn State, they had an opportunity to move up a spot, but were decimated by Penn State.

No. 13-seed Rutgers Scarlet Knights (15-16, 7-13 Big Ten)

Finishing near the middle of the Big Ten last year, Rutgers’ expectations were tampered heading into this season after the losses of Cam Spencer and Caleb McConnell. The Scarlet Knights’ hallmark win of the season came against then-No. 11 Wisconsin in a 22-point beating.

Rutgers was also positioned late to improve its seeding, but dropped its last three regular-season games to secure the second-to-last seed in the conference tournament, ahead of only Michigan.

What happened last time

Maryland and Rutgers faced twice during the regular season, with the teams splitting those games.

The first matchup, played on Feb. 6, was a tightly contested match throughout. Neither team led ever led by double digits, and a missed Donta Scott three with eight seconds remaining secured a 56-53 win for the Scarlet Knights.

The second game was far more lopsided, with the Terps easily winning, 63-46. It was a true team effort, with four players scoring at least 10 points.

Three things to watch

1. A true 50/50 game. While the Terps are the higher seed, Maryland and Rutgers have the same overall and conference record. With Wednesday’s game being played at a neutral site, neither team holds a clear advantage.

2. Second-half collapses. Over its last two games, Maryland has been outscored by a combined 27 points in the second half. Against Indiana, the Terps led by 10 at halftime and 16 in the second half, but fumbled the game away. Against Penn State, they trailed by just four at halftime, yet Penn State pulled away.

3. Reese’s status. Forward Julian Reese was sidelined Sunday against Penn State after tweaking his ankle in practice last week. While Willard alluded to his absence being precautionary, the Terps will need their star forward, who averaged 19.5 points and nine rebounds per game against Rutgers in the regular season.

The road ahead

The winner of Wednesday night’s game will face No. 5-seed Wisconsin in the second round. The game will start at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET.

Maryland narrowly lost to the Badgers, 74-70, in their lone clash in the regular season, while Rutgers lost to Wisconsin by double digits in both of their meetings.