Preview, how to watch as No. 16 Maryland basketball looks to bounce back and snap woes at Penn State
Maryland has lost seven straight games at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Looking to rebound from its first loss in 20 days, the Maryland men's basketball team hits the road to face Penn State to begin March.
The No. 16 Terps (21-7, 11-6 Big Ten) wrapped up a three-game homestand at 2-1, blowing out Iowa and USC and losing a gut-wrencher to No. 8 Michigan State. Maryland fought back to even the score in the final minute against the Spartans on Wednesday night, but Tre Holloman hit a buzzer-beater from beyond half court to stun the Terps.
Penn State (15-14, 5-13) is coming off an 83-78 loss at Indiana on Wednesday night that snapped a two-game winning streak. The Nittany Lions had lost seven games in a row and 11 of their last 12 games before that.
Maryland will look to find a win in a place that has been a house of horrors for the program. The Terps have lost seven straight games inside the Bryce Jordan Center and have not won there since Feb. 14, 2015 during their first Big Ten season.
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch, follow and listen to the matchup.
Tipoff: Noon on Saturday, March 1 at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania
TV: Big Ten Network -- Jason Horowitz (play-by-play), Stephen Bardo (analyst)
Streaming: FOX Sports
Radio: Maryland Sports Radio Network, 105.7FM (Baltimore), 980AM (D.C.) – Johnny Holliday (play-by-play), Chris Knoche (analyst)
Live Stats: Link
KenPom Line: Maryland -6
Penn State is No. 69 in the NET, No. 66 at KenPom, No. 71 at BartTorvik and No. 58 in the ESPN Basketball Power Index. Penn State's resume-based metrics are worse, rating 92nd in KPI, 90th in strength of record and 100th in wins above bubble. The Nittany Lions are 1-9 in Quadrant 1, 4-3 in Quadrant 2, 3-2 in Quadrant 3 and 7-0 in Quadrant 4. Saturday is a Quadrant 1 game for both teams.
Mike Rhoades is in his second season at Penn State after six years leading VCU. The Nittany Lions are 58th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and 90th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Penn State shoots 33.6% from three and allows opponents to shoot 35.5% from the perimeter.
The Nittany Lions are led by point guard Ace Baldwin Jr., a Baltimore native and St. Frances Academy product who averages 14 points, 7.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game. Baldwin ranks 22nd nationally in assist rate. Baldwin has struggled to shoot this year, making only 42.9% of his twos and 31.7% of his threes, but he is one of the best free-throw shooters in the nation. Baldwin makes 93.4% (142-for-152) of his foul shots, the fifth-best mark in the nation. During conference play, Baldwin is second in the Big Ten in steal percentage. He is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was also the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year at VCU in 2023.
Guards Freddie Dilione V and D'Marco Dunn joined Baldwin in Penn State's most recent starting lineup. Dillone averages 9.3 points per game while shooting 49.7% from two and 29% from three. The Tennessee transfer has scored at least 10 points in each of Penn State's last four games. Dunn averages 7.7 points per game and shoots 44.2% from the field and 38.7% from three. Dunn, in his second year at Penn State after transferring from North Carolina, is shooting 42.3% from deep during Big Ten play, the 11th-best mark in the conference.
Zach Hicks and Yanic Konan Niederhauser make up Penn State's starting frontcourt. The 6-foot-8 Hicks, in his second year at Penn State after transferring from Temple, averages 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, two assists and 1.1 steals per game. Hicks has been efficient from the field, making 63.5% of his twos and 40.4% of his threes. During Big Ten play, he ranks eighth in the conference in effective field goal percentage (60%) and fifth in true shooting percentage (64%). Konan Niederhauser, a 7-foot transfer from Northern Illinois, is Penn State's second-leading scorer and leading rebounder and shot-blocker at 13 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. He shoots 64.4% from two and leads the Big Ten in block percentage during conference play.
Nick Kern Jr., Penn State's third-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game, has come off the bench the last three games. In his second year at Penn State after following Rhoades from VCU, Kern also averages five rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He shoots 61% from two but is just 4-for-17 from three on the season.
Puff Johnson, a starting forward for Penn State who averages 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, has missed the last 11 games and is out for the season with a hand injury.
Ten Nittany Lions played against Indiana, but four of them – freshman guards Jahvin Carter and Dominick Stewart, Xavier transfer Kachi Nzeh and freshman forward Miles Goodman – registered seven or fewer minutes. Stewart averages 2.9 points per game, Nzeh averages 2.8, Carter averages 2.3 and Goodman averages 1.2.
If there is a perfect time for Maryland to overcome its road woes at Penn State, it is Saturday. The Terps are the far superior team on paper, and they also should have an urgency to bounce back following Wednesday's devastating loss. Expect a fired-up Maryland squad looking to start the sport's biggest month on the right foot.
