The Terps return home on a three-game winning streak.
Maryland men’s basketball returns to College Park Wednesday after one of its most thrilling wins in recent memory.
The high from Rodney Rice’s game-winner at Indiana can’t take away from the task at hand: No. 17 Wisconsin, one of the Terps’ three remaining currently-ranked opponents. The Badgers are coming off a 28-point win over Nebraska, who Maryland beat by just three points.
Wednesday’s matchup will tip off at 7 p.m. and air on Big Ten Network.
Wisconsin Badgers (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten)
2023-24 record: 22-14, 11-9 Big Ten
On paper, the Badgers appear to be taking a big step up from 2023-24. But their record last season through 20 games? 16-4. Wisconsin was No. 6 in the country at the end of last January before losing five of six games in February and falling out of the rankings altogether.
A run to the Big Ten Tournament final salvaged the Badgers’ season and earned them a No. 5-seed in March, but they were upset by No. 12-seed James Madison in the first round. Head coach Greg Gard returned just two of his starters from 2023-24, but a new crop of contributors have emerged.
Players to know
John Tonje, graduate guard, 6-foot-5, No. 9 — Tonje is in his sixth season of college basketball. He spent four at Colorado State before playing for Missouri in 2023-24 and transferring to Wisconsin following the season, immediately becoming the Badgers’ top scoring option. Tonje leads the team with 18 points per game, and also leads the backcourt with 4.9 rebounds per game.
John Blackwell, sophomore guard, 6-foot-3, No. 25 — Blackwell was an impactful freshman a season ago, playing in 34 of 36 games and averaging eight points per game in 18.5 minutes per game. But he’s turned into a true force this year alongside Tonje in the backcourt with 16.3 points per game.
Nolan Winter, sophomore forward, 6-foot-11, No. 22 — Of Wisconsin’s two towering bigs, Winter is the younger and shorter one, but he’s a dynamic scoring option that’s also turning into an efficient one. Winter’s 73.8% 2-point percentage is the highest in the Big Ten, and he also shoots 2.3 3-pointers per game and makes them at a 39.1% clip.
Strength
Versatility. The Badgers can attack opponents in many different ways. Their duo of John’s can each explode on any given night, and that’s just the backcourt. Winter and 7-foot graduate forward Steven Crowl are forces on both ends of the court, and neither is afraid to shoot from deep either. All five starters shoot more than 80% from the free-throw line too — there’s no player Maryland can prioritize sending to the line.
Weakness
Playing on the road. The Badgers are 14-1 at home and in neutral venues, and 2-3 on the road. Two of those road losses came at No. 9 Marquette and No. 18 Illinois, so the stat could be taken with a grain of salt. But the Terps will take any advantage they can get, especially given their dominance at Xfinity Center under head coach Kevin Willard.
Three things to watch
1. Associated Press poll watch. The Terps slotted in as the unofficial No. 27 in Monday’s Associated Press poll with 116 votes — just 15 fewer than No. 25 UConn. After Wisconsin, they don’t have another game until the Week 14 poll releases. A win over the Badgers would give Maryland its best chance yet to crack into this year’s rankings.
2. How will Maryland’s big men fare? Julian Reese and Derik Queen caught a big break against No. 18 Illinois. Center Tomislav Ivisic, listed at 7-foot-1 and one of the best bigs in the Big Ten, missed the game with an illness. Against Winter and Crowl, the Terps’ frontcourt won’t have the same luxury. It’s rare that Reese and Queen are truly outsized, but Wednesday represents one of those occasions.
3. Which version of Rice shows up? Rice has been inconsistent at times this season, with 10 games scoring 10 points or fewer. A standout 23-point performance against Indiana topped off by a game-winning 3-pointer could swing his confidence, though, and Maryland would benefit greatly if Rice builds consistency off his recent success.