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.
