The Terps hit the road for their final game of the regular season.
In its regular-season finale, Maryland men’s basketball will travel to State College, Pennsylvania, on Sunday to take on Penn State.
The Terps currently hold an even .500 record following a demoralizing 83-78 loss to Indiana. For some time, Maryland’s offense was about as proficient as it has been throughout Big Ten play, leading to a 16-point second-half lead. Four players scored double-digit points, while the team as a whole shot 48.4% from the field and 37.5% from three.
However, Maryland’s defense — which has been its calling card all season — could not stop the ensuing flood of offensive excellence. Indiana shot 73.1% from the field and 40% from three in the final 20 minutes, and even amassed a double-digit lead before closing the door on the Terps.
Sunday’s game will begin at 7:30 p.m. and air on Big Ten Network.
What happened last time
Maryland and Penn State already played once this season on Dec. 6. After a 5-0 start, the Nittany Lions entered the game on a four-game losing streak, which Maryland extended with an 81-75 overtime win.
In a neck-and-neck game, the difference came down to which team could endure the extra five minutes of play, which Penn State proved too tired for. The Nittany Lions went 0-for-8 from the field in overtime.
The game as a whole was an offensive nightmare, with the Terps shooting 34.3% from the field and 20% from three with 16 turnovers, while Penn State shot 38.7% from the field and 32% from three with 12 turnovers. Even Jahmir Young, who scored a game-high 28 points, shot a lowly 7-of-19 from the field and turned the ball over six times.
Opposite of Young, Penn State guard Kanye Clary dazzled XFINITY Center with his speed and poise, finishing the game with 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
What’s happened since
Since their initial meeting, which left both teams at 5-5, Maryland and Penn State have each hovered around .500, solidifying their spots near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Maryland won all of its final four nonconference games following its win over Penn State, but then struggled once Big Ten play resumed, accumulating a 6-11 record through the final 17 games. Eight of the Terps’ losses were decided by five points or less, though.
Penn State played three nonconference games after Dec. 6, blowing out Rider and Le Moyne, but losing to Georgia Tech in overtime, 82-81. The Nittany Lions also defeated Ohio State, 83-80, before winning seven of their 17 final games.
However, Penn State has struggled over the past few games — losing its last two — without Clary, who is no longer with the team.
“It came to a point where, as the head coach, I made a decision to move on, and that’s where I’ll leave it,” Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades said last month.
Clary was the Nittany Lions’ leading scorer at 16.7 points per game, which ranks seventh in the conference.
Three things to watch
1. Penn State’s offense without Clary. Losing a nearly 17-point-per-game scorer in the middle of a season would drastically change any team. While the Nittany Lions scored a season-low 49 points without Clary against Nebraska a few weeks ago, their offense has surprisingly remained effective, averaging 81 points per game over the last four games. However, Maryland’s defense, which allows a conference-low 65 points per game, will make this difficult to maintain.
2. Avoiding a losing record. Maryland has produced just one losing season (2021-22) over the last 30 years, but is in danger of doing so in Kevin Willard’s second season at the helm. The Terps can eliminate this possibility with a win on Sunday, though.
3. Who will the Terps play in the Big Ten Tournament? The result of Sunday’s game will determine who the Terps play in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. If Maryland wins, it will play Michigan, who the Terps defeated, 64-57, in January. But if Maryland loses, it will face Rutgers — who it split two regular-season games with.