The Terps look to bounce back at home.
Maryland men’s basketball is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Northwestern, as Nick Martinelli drained a buzzer-beater for the win at the end of overtime. Point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie twice tied the contest — with six seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and in overtime — but it wasn’t enough to propel the Terps, who are now 0-4 on the road.
Maryland now turns its attention to a program currently on a losing skid: Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers are on a three-game losing streak, most recently suffering a three-point loss to Rutgers, in which freshman phenoms Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper scored 24 and 21 points respectively. Nebraska also lost to then-No. 20 Purdue and Iowa. Its best wins of the season came over Creighton, UCLA and Indiana.
Sunday’s game will begin at noon and air on Big Ten Network.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-5, 2-4)
2023-24 record: 23-11, 12-8 Big Ten
Head coach Fred Hoiberg is in his sixth season at the helm of Nebraska men’s basketball. Last season, he helped the Cornhuskers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
Prior to his time in Lincoln, Nebraska, Hoiberg spent three full seasons as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, where he made the playoffs once and won more than 40 games in two seasons. He also guided Iowa State to a 115-56 record in his five seasons as its head coach.
Players to watch
Brice Williams, senior guard, 6-foot-7, No. 3 — Not only is Williams a mismatch for Maryland with his towering height, he’s also one of the most prolific offensive threats in the Big Ten. He averages 18.9 points per game, good for fifth in the conference. He’s also second on the team with 2.5 assists per game.
Juwan Gary, senior forward, 6-foot-6, No. 4 — Gary is Nebraska’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.1 points per game. He’s also one of the team’s best defensive players, as he ranks second in both steals (22) and blocks (9). Gary has started every game for the Cornhuskers this season.
Connor Essegian, junior guard, 6-foot-4, No. 0 — Essegian is Nebraska’s third-leading scorer, averaging 11.6 points per game. He has played in all 17 games this season, but has started just three. He leads the team in 3-point percentage, shooting 40.7% from downtown.
Strength
Not fouling. Nebraska, like Maryland, has done a good job so far this season at not fouling. It is tied with the Terps for the third-fewest personal fouls per game in the Big Ten.
Weakness
Turnovers. The Cornhuskers give the ball away the third most in the Big Ten, with 12.2 turnovers per game. They also have the second-worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference at 1.13.
Three things to watch
1. Can Derik Queen bounce back? Queen has had an up-and-down slate of Big Ten games. After impressing against Minnesota, he faltered against Northwestern, posting just nine points and undergoing multiple defensive lapses. Whether or not he returns to form against Nebraska will be worthy of note.
2. Can the Terps close late? While it won a relatively tight game against Minnesota, late finishes against then-No. 9 Oregon, Minnesota and Northwestern did not go the Terps’ way. Sunday’s game projects to be another close contest, and Maryland needs to prove it can win if the game comes down to the final few possessions.
3. Can Maryland match up with Nebraska’s guards? The Terps had some trouble against Northwestern’s 6-foot-6 guard Brooks Barnhizer, who scored 20 points. With Williams and Essegian standing at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-4, respectively, Maryland will be faced with a similar challenge.