We’re about 15 minutes from tip off between the Terps and Wolverines in Indy.

Terps won the first matchup between these two and the difference was turnovers. Michigan really cleaned up the sloppy play yesterday, but we’ll see if they can do it again today against a stiff Maryland defense.

Beat Michigan!!

On the defensive end, the Cavaliers continue to press out with their long poles. Schroter and Fulton are tall and mobile, and they use their length to negate an attacker's speed. Getting into their bodies, however, is something that Eric Spanos can exploit. Spanos has emerged as the go-to attackman who can score or distribute and will likely draw Schroter as a match up. Braden Erksa, who has struggled with turnovers, might have his speed advantage eliminated by Fulton's length.

The Maryland offensive midfield – both lines – have been the difference this season for the Terps' offense. Against Delaware, the Terps fully inverted its midfield and relentlessly dodged short sticks. While Virginia has two good short-stick defenders and an elite LSM, the Terps' midfield depth has punished teams that lack defensive midfield depth. Lack of depth describes Virginia's defensive midfield.

The Terps will have an advantage in goal. Not only has Logan McNaney stopped shots at an elite level, but his ability also to help in the clearing game will be key against a Virginia team that will surely jump into pressure rides. At the other end of the field, the Terps have tormented both Nunes and Morris. Nunes played his best game in years last week against Towson, and perhaps that has given him confidence heading into this game. If he gets hot early, that will bode well for Virginia. If he gives up goals early, things could go downhill quickly for the Cavaliers.

The Prediction

All signs point to a comfortable Maryland win. The Terps have played at a high level all season while the Cavaliers have struggled. However, Virginia finds themselves with their backs against the wall. A loss to the Terps likely means that Virginia's entire post-season aspirations will require an undefeated ACC season. Expect a closer game than the metrics would suggest, but Maryland's midfield depth on both sides of the field should make the difference.

IMS prediction: Terps 14-11.

Preview and Prediction: No. 1 Maryland lacrosse at No. 18 Virginia​

The Terps look to stay perfect against their old ACC enemy.​

Men's Lacrosse – Game 7, at Virginia, Klockner Stadium, Saturday at 4:00 PM

Season Records: #1 Maryland (6-0), #18 Virginia (3-3)

Series Record: Maryland, 51-47




Last Meeting: 2024, 12-6, Maryland in NCAA Final Four

Media: ACCN

Stats: HERE

Quick Preview

Over the past six seasons, Maryland versus Virginia has come with the highest stakes. Since 2019 and excluding the 2020 COVID year, Maryland and Virginia have ended each other's seasons four out of the last five seasons. In last season's NCAA Final Four in Philadelphia, the Terps routed the Cavaliers and ended the careers of Virginia all-time greats Connor Shellenberger and Peyton Cormier. If early season returns say much, the Cavaliers might not have recovered from that shellacking. The Terps return to Charlottesville, the scene of Brian Ruppel's three-save, overtime sequence in 2023, looking to maintain their top ranking while perhaps putting Virginia into "must win the ACC to get to the NCAA Tournament" territory.

The Opponent

Start with the losses. Connor Shellenberger finished his career as Virginia's all-time leading scorer and the storied program's only four-time, first-team All-American. All Peyton Cormier did during his career in Charlottesville was finish as the NCAA's all-time leading goal scorer. Throw in the loss of All-American defenseman Cole Kastner and All-American FOGO Petey Lasalla, and Virginia has massive holes to fill in its roster.

Virginia coach Lars Tiffany has always recruited well, and Virginia has former five-star high school recruits littered throughout its roster.

McCabe Millon (9g, 11a) came to Charlottesville as the nation's top-ranked recruit and started every game last season. The two-handed, fiery Millon can take over games but has struggled this season with poor shooting on a high volume of shots now that defenses key on him. Millon is joined at attack by another former five-star recruit in Truitt Sunderland (16g, 14a). Sunderland has battled injuries in his two prior seasons but finally looks to live up to his lofty recruiting ranking. Ryan Colsey (17g, 6a), only the 60th-ranked recruit in his class, moves back to his natural attack spot after running through the box as a midfielder last season.

Virginia's midfield has been a bit of a sore spot since the 2022 graduation of All-American Matt Moore. Talent does not seem the problem, at least on paper. Griffin Schutz (8g, 2a), himself the former top-ranked high school recruit of his class, is a bull of a midfielder. Built like a linebacker, Schutz can shoot on the run or make spectacular plays, as he did while leading Virginia to a win over the Terps during last regular season's game in College Park. Thomas Menke (6g, 3a), a former attackman, joins Schutz in the midfield with a strong ball carrying presence. Will Inderlied (2g) has rounded out the first midfield line with a big frame and good athleticism.

Virginia brought in former Duke attackman/midfielder Charles Balsamo (1a), the seventh-ranked recruit in his class, and former Bryant midfielder Johnny Hackett (1g) from the transfer portal. Neither has made much of an impact so far. Jack Walshe (6g, 3a) has given the second midfield line more punch, though.

With the graduation of Kastner, John Schroter (12gb, 5ct) takes on Virginia's role as their primary close defender. George Fulton (9gb, 9ct) returns as a starter at close defense, while Griffin Kology (5gb, 4ct) moves into the starting defense after being a solid rotation player. Schroter and Fulton have length and are mobile, while Kology brings more muscle.

Virginia's rope unit has good pieces, including one of the top LSMs in the country in Ben Wayer (4g, 1a, 37gb, 9ct). Wayer is a menace on the wings and between the restraining lines. His ability to patrol the middle of the field allows Virginia to hop into pressure rides. Virginia's short-stick defensive group features two returning players in Noah Chizmar (1g, 17gb, 2ct) and Joey Terenzi (1g, 3gb). Some believe Terenzi should play offense given his ability to score. Will Erdmann (4gb, 2ct) and Mack Till (3gb, 4ct) give the group good size and athleticism.

Matt Nunes (8.43ga, 54 percent) returned to Virginia's starting lineup last week against Towson after Kyle Morris (12ga, 48 percent) had started the first five games of the season in goal. The Terps have faced both goalies and found success.

Finally, Virginia features two main face-off specialists. Anthony Ghobriel (2a, 56 percent, 18gb), a one-time Navy Midshipmen, takes the majority of face-offs, while Andrew Greenspan (1g, 58 percent, 9gb) spells Ghobriel.

Inside the Match-Up

Virginia has struggled replacing generational players in key positions despite Tiffany's ability to bring in top recruits. The struggles have extended beyond Virginia's offense. Per Lacrosse Reference, Virginia ranks 21st in adjusted offensive efficiency, 22nd in adjusted defensive efficiency, 24th in adjusted face-off percent, and 38th in adjusted save percent.

The Cavaliers have not changed their offense much over the years despite personnel changes. Dodges off picks behind the goal or up in the midfield with scissor cuts from crease players. The offense requires elite athletes and dodgers to gain an edge, draw a slide, and find open cutters in the crease.

The Cavaliers' offense thrives when its defense forces turnovers or goalies trigger run outs off saves to get transition goals. In the past, Virginia also often scored off face-offs. Its attack relentlessly rode back possessions and scored in early offense or unsettled situations. The Cavaliers rank seventh in the nation in time to first shot but are just 48th in the nation in time of possession.

The Cavaliers still like to ride and jump into a 10-man ride, especially with Nunes in goal. Opponents clear at just 81 percent; however, the Cavaliers themselves only clear at 80 percent.

With Millon taking nearly 20 percent of Virginia's shots but shooting just 17 percent, Virginia's half field offense has ground to a halt. Sunderland, a Baltimore native, gives the offense more balance between dodging and passing, but his sleight frame makes him easier to push away from dangerous spots.

Expect Will Schaller to take the Millon match up, with Colin Burlace and Jackson Canfield switching on and off Sunderland and Colsey.

Virginia's offensive malaise emanate from a lack of midfield dodging. While Schutz is a bear to handle, he has largely no showed in several games. Balsamo and Hackett came to Virginia to solve some of these dodging issues but have not made much impact to this point.

Schutz will demand the long pole match up, and the Terps short-stick defensive unit will look to push Virginia midfield dodgers down the alleys. It is crucial for Terrapin defenders to communicate off-ball in the crease, but if the Cavaliers can't win dodging match ups, the Terps won't slide. The Terps' rope unit has played exceptionally well through six games.

Jahmir Young on why he's not surprised by Maryland basketball's breakout season, his Terps reunion in Chicago​

It's been a breakthrough season not only for Maryland basketball, but also for former Terps star Jahmir Young.​

It's been a breakthrough season not only for Maryland basketball, but also for former Terps star Jahmir Young. In his rookie season as a pro, Young quickly became one of the top players in the G-League, earning all-star honors and then a two-way contract from the Chicago Bulls.

Not bad for a guy who wasn't drafted or given much of a chance of making it to the league, let alone make it in his first year.

"It's cool. It's just more motivation. It's exciting. My story, my journey—just leading up to this point—seeing my family proud of me means a lot. From where I've been and the growth I've made, it's just more motivation to keep going and check off that next milestone," Young said during an interview on Glenn Clark Radio.

Young, the third-leading scorer in the Big Ten last year with 20.4 points per game, has been keeping close tabs on his former college team.

"They have a lot of talented guys, a lot of veteran guys as well—players who have played multiple games in college. I went to a practice before the season started while I had some time at home, and just seeing the way they competed against each other and how seriously they took every possession—they didn't take any possessions off. They're a defensive-minded group, a hungry team, a well-put-together team. So, I knew they were going to be special from the start," he said.


"Just keeping up with them on social media, they keep jumping up in the rankings and going on win streaks. Their offense is clicking, and everybody's contributing. The ball is moving, everybody's getting love, and the chemistry seems to be at its best level. So, I'm not surprised at all," he said.

Clark asked Young what he thinks the reason is behind Maryland's run of top point guards.

"It's a ton of credit to the crowd, the atmosphere. It's big—really big. Kevin Willard, I mean, what he's put together, how he runs his offense, how he gives his players confidence to go out there and play their game—it's impressive. It starts in practice. He emphasizes the importance of execution out of timeouts and how every possession matters. He has all those guys locked in from jump ball to the final buzzer," he said.

In Chicago, Young joined two others former Terps stars, Jalen Smith and Kevib Huerter.

"Me and Stix played for the same AAU program, Team Takeover. He was a year above me, of course, but we would practice together. Sometimes we would scrimmage each other. So, we go way back—about 16 or 17 years. It was good to see Stix again. I've also seen him working out at Maryland. We have the same trainer, Darren McClinton, so I see him often in the gym. And then Huerter, we have runs in College Park from time to time. It was good to see those guys again. The Bulls must have a thing for Terps."

Young had some big NIL offers after his breakout debut season at Maryland but opted to pass on the portal and stay local to his home-state team. So, he was happy to see Julian Reese make the same decision.

"It means a lot and it tells you a lot about his character. It's easy for guys nowadays to jump in the portal and go play elsewhere, whether that's for money or whatever the case may be," he said. "But for JuJu, just seeing his growth and development over the years—playing for multiple coaches—for him to be able to stay grounded, stay motivated, and now be the leader of this really good Terps team, it means a lot. It shows a lot about him and who he is as a person."

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Maryland Basketball Scoop: Transfer Buzz | Point Guard Prediction | Surprising Duo​

Maryland basketball begins its most anticipated postseason in years tonight (Maryland-Illinois preview), but there's also a lot happening behind the scenes. The latest on a top recruit, a top transfer prospect and a surprise collaboration in the latest Maryland basketball scoop.​

Maryland basketball begins its most anticipated postseason in years tonight (Maryland-Illinois preview), but there's also a lot happening behind the scenes. The latest on a top recruit, a top transfer prospect and a surprise collaboration in the latest Maryland basketball scoop.

On Chance Mallory: I'm entering a Crystal Ball pick for Virginia with a confidence score of six for the nation's top uncommitted point guard. I don't know for sure that it's done, but piecing together the information I've gotten, it seems likely. Mallory's family would like to have him close to home and they've been in communication with the administration about its impending hire, which seems likely to be VCU coach Ryan Odom; a bit of irony considering he coached UMBC to that historic upset over UVA, the first win by a No. 16 seed in tournament history.

Odom has some connections to Mallory's family and with Mallory setting an announcement date for later this month, the signs point to Virginia. But I don't have that down as a done deal and will keep tabs.

I'm hearing Maryland has a great chance to land Drexel transfer Kobe Magee, who I reported on yesterday. The portal doesn't open for another week, but when it does, they could quickly scoop him as a Selton Miguel replacement.

Elsewhere, Maryland will have an alum coaching in the NCAA Tournament after Duane Simpkins led American to the Gary Williams has said that out of all of his former players, he believes Simpkins might've been the best suited to become a successful coach. Simpkins, Maryland's starting point guard during the program's Williams-led resurgence of the early 90s, led American University -- the school where Williams cut his teeth as a young coach -- to the Patriot League title, earning its first March Madness berth since 2014 and fourth overall.

And he's had help from an unlikely source: Mark Turgeon. Turgeon, who nearly hired Simpkins as an assistant at Maryland on multiple occasions, has worked with him as a consultant this season, focusing on defensive strategy. Turgeon has been to most of the team's home games, attending a bunch of practices and reviewing film with Simpkins.

If you need to kill time until tonight's game, we talked about expectations for the postseason and lots more on this week's IMS Radio, along with an update from Chris Knoche in Indy. Listen here:

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Big Ten Tournament semifinals: Preview, how to watch No. 2 Maryland basketball vs. No. 3 Michigan​

A championship game berth is on the line.​

After a dominant 88-65 win over Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night, the Maryland men's basketball team is back in the conference semifinals for the first time since 2016.

The second-seeded Terps (25-7) will meet third-seeded Michigan (23-9), which defeated sixth-seeded Purdue, 86-68, in Friday's final quarterfinal, on Saturday afternoon with a trip to the Big Ten championship game on the line.

Maryland led by as many as 36 with 9:41 left in the second half in an effort that was more dominant than even the 23-point margin indicated. Rodney Rice, in his first game since being snubbed from All-Big Ten honors, had a huge night, scoring 26 points and hitting seven threes. Derik Queen had another double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Ja'Kobi Gillespie had 12 points and nine assists, Julian Reese had 10 points, and Jordan Geronimo had 11 points.

Maryland had only three turnovers against Illinois, zero of which came in the first half. The Terps outscored Illinois 22-0 in points off turnovers, 11-0 in fast-break points and 15-9 in bench points. None of Maryland's starters played more than 25 minutes.

The Terps and the Wolverines met just 10 days before Saturday's meeting, a 71-65 road win for Maryland on March 5. Saturday is another top 25 matchup, with Maryland ranked 11th in the latest AP poll and Michigan ranked 22nd.

Here's everything you need to know about how to watch, follow and listen to the matchup.

Tipoff: Approximately 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis

TV: CBS – Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Grant Hill (analyst), Bill Raftery (analyst), Tracy Wolfson (sideline)

Streaming: CBS Sports

Radio: Maryland Sports Radio Network, 105.7FM (Baltimore), 980AM (D.C.) – Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Chris Knoche (analyst), Tom Marchitto (engineer)

Live Stats: Link

KenPom Line: Maryland -4

Betting Line: Maryland -3.5 (-178 ML), O/U 150.5 per FanDuel Sportsbook

Michigan limped to the finish line of the regular season, losing its final three games – by an average of 14.3 points per loss – and four of its final six games. But the Wolverines snapped their woes in a big way Friday night.

Michigan moved up to 27th at KenPom after the win over Purdue. The NET rankings will not update until Saturday morning, but the game will be another Quadrant 1 opportunity for both teams. Maryland will look for its ninth Quad 1 win of the season.

Four of Michigan's five starters were in double figures against Purdue, led by Danny Wolf with 18 points. Wolf also had 11 rebounds, six assists and only two turnovers. Vladislav Goldin had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Tre Donaldson had 13 points, five assists and four rebounds. Roddy Gayle Jr. had 11 points off the bench.

Michigan shot 52% from the field, 31% from three and 18-for-22 from the free-throw line against Purdue. The Wolverines, who entered the game ranking 336th nationally in turnover percentage, had a season-low six turnovers against the Boilermakers. They only forced five turnovers but scored 12 points off them. Michigan also had an advantage in rebounds (40 to 34), bench points (25 to 23), points in the paint (38 to 30) and fast-break points (nine to six). The Wolverines led by as many as 18 and held the lead for 37:06.

Maryland did not make a field goal in the last 6:02 in its regular season win over Michigan. The Terps got big scoring contributions from Rice (19 points) and Queen and Selton Miguel, who each had 17 points. Wolf and Goldin each had 20 points against the Terps, though the former had five of Michigan's 16 turnovers. Reese's defense against Goldin down the stretch was a big difference in the ballgame.

When the Big Ten released its all-conference honors earlier this week, Goldin and Queen split first- and second-team honors, with Queen earning first-team honors from the coaches and Goldin from the media. Wolf was a consensus second-team selection. Goldin is Michigan's leading scorer at 16.6 points per game. Wolf averages 13 points per game, Donaldson averages 11.6, Nimari Burnett averages 9.8 and Gayle averages 9.6.

By the time the Terps and the Wolverines take the floor Saturday, their opponent in the Big Ten Tournament championship game – whether it be Michigan State or Wisconsin – will be known. These teams are certainly familiar with each other, and it will be fascinating to see what each coaching staff has in store. Saturday marks Maryland's first time on this stage in eight years, but Kevin Willard has a team that has consistently risen to the moment this season.

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Illinois coach Brad Underwood on Maryland: "We let Rodney Rice cook us ... They're good enough to win it."​

Before any media members at his press conference Friday night could follow up after his first answer, Illinois coach Brad Underwood interjected with an unprompted thought about Maryland: "They're good enough to win it."​

Before any media members at his press conference Friday night could follow up after his first answer, Illinois coach Brad Underwood interjected with an unprompted thought about Maryland.

"And by the way," he said, "they're good enough to win it. They're good. They're really good."

It's unclear if the "it" Underwood was referring to be the Big Ten Tournament or the NCAA Tournament: that's open to interpretation. But given how dominant Maryland (25-7) was in its 88-65 win over a hot Illinois team, it wouldn't be crazy to think he was talking about the Big Dance. Rodney Rice poured in 26 points in 29 minutes, torching the Illini's (21-12) with seven 3-pointers on nine tries.

"We let Rodney Rice cook us in the first half. Very disappointing. I was really disappointed in our defense on the perimeter," he said. "I was good with letting Reese and Queen try to score twos because it's not what makes them great. What makes them great is when they make threes, and our perimeter defense—we were just very flat, very lethargic, not much energy. And that's on me, getting these guys ready to play, understanding the urgency."

More from Underwood below:

On Maryland's defense: "Hopefully we learned a lot from Maryland today. And the energy—they're the number one defense in the country analytically since January. And us scoring 110 or whatever we scored yesterday probably gave them a little more hype to come out and kick our butt. And they did."

On his team's 17 turnovers: "We opened the game with two turnovers—we just threw the ball to them. They do a great job of playing with their hands in the pocket. We told them all, 'Your pocket passes, you can't throw them,' and then Tommy throws one low right after that."

Illini guard Kylan Boswell: "I think what Coach said Iowa was kind of a false reality. Every team is going to be trying to play because they're not trying to go home. Really aggressive. Talking a lot. Maryland, for sure, today.

"They were shocking our central nervous system, you know? And you just can't come out there not ready to hoop at any point.

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Maryland pounces on Illinois, steamrolls its way to Big Ten Tournament semis, 88-65​

Kevin Willard was worried about his team's tendency to start games slow after extended breaks. Those concerns were quickly quelled after a few minutes of action on Friday.​

Kevin Willard was worried about his team's tendency to start games slow after extended breaks. Those concerns were quickly quelled after a few minutes of action on Friday.

The Terps played their best half of the season, leading Illinois by 26 points at halftime in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. It was the second-largest halftime lead the Terps have had and the most they've scored against a Big Ten opponent this season as they cruised to an 88-65 victory on Friday night in Indianapolis.

Maryland held a 30-point lead with 12:06 remaining en route to a 88-65 victory. It will play in its first Big Ten tournament semifinals since 2016 on Saturday.

"Anytime you're up 26 at halftime, you're doing something right," Willard said. "I just told them not to mess it up [at halftime].•

Friday's game looked nearly identical to the two teams' contest in January. Maryland crushed Illinois inside, won the turnover battle and neutralized Fighting Illini forward Tomislav Ivisic. Derik Queen scored an efficient 19 points.

But the Terps had an additional weapon in the quarterfinals. They shot 47.8% from three-point range, making 11 triples.

It was an encouraging sign for an offense that has struggled recently, scoring its highest total since Feb. 16. Maryland hadn't made 40% of its three-pointers since the USC game on Feb. 20.

Rodney Rice started the game with 18 points before the eight-minute mark in the first half, going 5-6 from three-point range. Ja'Kobi Gillespie and he scored a combined 23 points in the first matchup against Illinois. The backcourt surpassed that total in the first half on Friday.

The Virginia Tech transfer was not named to the Big Ten's honorable mention team this week, but Rice played like a first-teamer in the quarterfinals.

He finished the game with a team-high 26 points and made seven 3-pointers. Rice's shooting forced Illinois head coach Brad Underwood to call multiple first-half timeouts, incensed at his team.

"[Maryland's] good enough to win it," Underwood said.

Rice has been mentioned as Maryland's "X-factor" multiple times this season. At this point, he's become the Terps' third-best scorer and a strong secondary ball handler.

His ability to play a heavy load of minutes is underrated. Rice is constantly dashing around off-ball screens, shooting movement-triples and guarding the opponent's best perimeter threat.

That was most evident when, midway through the second half, he fell over in the middle of a play (potential ploy), only to rise back up and hit a 3-pointer. He was fouled in the process and converted the free throw.

"I'm just going to continue to let my game do the talking," Rice said.

Maryland's first-half domination allowed Willard to play his bench more than usual. Jordan Geronimo and Tafara Gapare both played in the first half, along with DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jay Young.

Geronimo rewarded his coach with nine points, including a three-pointer. The 15 bench points were the most Maryland's second unit has scored since Jan. 2. Malachi Palmer even played in the second half.

"It's big no matter what, especially for the NCAA tournament," Willard said. "I have a lot of faith in my bench, the problem is I have five [starters] who need shots."

A 31-point lead isn't supposed to happen in a conference tournament, especially not against KenPom's No. 18 team. Willard even rolled out an all-bench unit with over six minutes remaining.

It’s onto the next round for @TerrapinHoops ?#B1GMBBT pic.twitter.com/KTfqhGn9QB
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 15, 2025

Click to expand...

The Terps likely won't replicate this type of performance for the rest of postseason play. It would be nearly impossible. But if they can come even close to Friday's showing, they could be in for a special March.

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I'll miss him, I really enjoyed his writing.