Preview, how to watch No. 25 Maryland basketball vs. Iowa
The Terps return home in search of their third win in a row and ninth win in their last 11 games.
The Maryland men's basketball team has been as hot as anyone in the Big Ten, and now it will get an opportunity to continue to roll at home.
The No. 25 Terps (19-6, 9-5 Big Ten) welcome Iowa (14-10, 5-8) to town Sunday evening for the first of three consecutive games at the XFINITY Center.
Maryland has won two games in a row, six of their last seven games and eight of their last 10 games. The Terps are coming off an 83-75 win at Nebraska on Thursday night. Pinnacle Bank Arena is a tough place to play, and Maryland was a 1.5-point underdog. Derik Queen was once again outstanding with 24 points, shooting 9-for-11 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, and 11 rebounds. All five starters were in double figures for the fourth time this season – Selton Miguel had 17 points, Ja'Kobi Gillespie had 15, Rodney Rice had 14 and Julian Reese had 13. The Terps have had one of the best starting five in college basketball this season.
Maryland leads the all-time series over Iowa, 9-8. The Terps have won two in a row over the Hawkeyes, a sweep last year in an otherwise disappointing season. The teams only play once this regular season.
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch, follow and listen to the matchup.
Tipoff: 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16 at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland
TV: FOX Sports 1 – Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst)
Streaming: FOX Sports
Radio: Maryland Sports Radio Network, 105.7FM (Baltimore), 980AM (D.C.) – Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Chris Knoche (analyst), Walt Williams (analyst), Tom Marchitto (engineer)
Live Stats: Link
KenPom Line: Maryland -12
Betting Line: Maryland -10.5 (-630 ML), O/U 158.5 per FanDuel Sportsbook
Sunday is a Quadrant Two game for the Terps and a Quadrant One game for Iowa. Iowa is 61st in the NET, 61st at KenPom and 67th at BartTorvik. Fran McCaffery is in his 15th year leading the Hawkeyes. Iowa is coming off an 84-73 win at Rutgers that snapped a three-game losing streak. It has lost six of its last eight games.
What I'm Hearing: Maryland football upheaval, a breakthrough basketball moment and a quietly key cog
Iowa's leading scorer and rebounder, 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Owen Freeman, is out for the season with a right-hand injury. Freeman was averaging 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 63.8%. His most recent game played was on Jan. 27.
Senior forward Payton Sandfort is the Hawkeyes' active leading scorer at 16.1 points per game. The 6-foot-8 Sandfort is also averaging 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Sandfort has been a dangerous threat from deep throughout his college career, but he is shooting a career-low 34.2% from beyond the arc this season. Sandfort has the ability to take over if he is hot, though, as he averages 7.7 three-point attempts per game.
Junior guard Josh Dix has stepped up his production each season, and he is averaging 14.4 points per game this season. Dix is shooting 44.2% from three, the 42nd-best mark in the nation. He is shooting 44.6% from three in Big Ten play, the fifth-best mark in the conference. Dix averages 4.9 three-point attempts per game.
Morehead State transfer guard Drew Thelwell is Iowa's other double-digit scorer, averaging 10.5 points per game. Thelwell missed the Rutgers game with an ankle injury, though McCaffery said he is "getting closer" to returning against the Terps, per HawkCentral. Thelwell is another capable shooter, making 60.7% of his twos and 42.2% of his threes.
Iowa's starting five against Rutgers included Sandfort, Dix, sophomore point guard Brock Harding, sophomore forward Seydou Traore and sophomore forward Ladji Dembele. Harding averages 8.9 points and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 43.9% and 37% from three. Harding's 33.1% assist rate during Big Ten play ranks third in the conference. Traore is averaging 6.2 points per game and Dembele is averaging 3.8. Dembele, 6-foot-8, is 40% (10-for-25) from three on the year. Traore, 6-foot-7, is 24% (6-for-25) from deep.
Iowa's leading minute-getter off the bench is 6-foot-7 forward Pryce Sandfort, Payton's younger brother. He averages 8.4 points per game and shoots 69.4% from two, the 32nd-best mark nationally, and 37.6% from three. Redshirt senior forward Even Brauns (1.3 points per game), redshirt junior forward Riley Mulvey (2.3 PPG) and redshirt junior guard Carter Kingsbury (1.3 PPG) wrapped up Iowa's most recent rotation against Rutgers.
The Terps are expected to hold serve at home against an undermanned Hawkeyes team, but they cannot take Iowa lightly. The Hawkeyes consistently have one of the best offenses in the sport with one of the fastest tempos each year. They rank 29th in adjusted offensive efficiency – actually a down year for McCaffery and company – fourth in effective field goal percentage (57.5%), 25th in three-point percentage (37.8%), 27th in adjusted tempo and 11th in average possession length (15.4 seconds). Iowa, with the 11th-lowest turnover percentage (13.9%), also takes care of the ball. Maryland head coach Kevin Willard is certainly familiar with the Iowa style of play, but his team must be wary in a potential trap game at home.
