Preview, how to watch No. 18 Maryland basketball's Super Bowl Sunday matinee vs. Rutgers
Maryland looks to bounce back from a tough loss in Columbus.
The Maryland men's basketball team will look to bounce back from Thursday's disheartening road loss at Ohio State.
The No. 18 Terps (17-6, 7-5 Big Ten) welcome Rutgers (12-11, 5-7) to the XFINITY Center for a Super Bowl Sunday matinee.
Maryland led by 17 late in the first half of its 73-70 loss to the Buckeyes, and they led 61-50 with 7:15 remaining. Bruce Thornton banked in a three with seven seconds left, and Selton Miguel missed the potential tying three at the buzzer. Julian Reese was fantastic with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Rodney Rice added 18 points and Derik Queen had 13. It was a tough game for star point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, who scored only six points, shot 3-for-11 and committed four fouls.
Rutgers is coming off an 82-73 upset home win over No. 23 Illinois. It has been a rollercoaster season for the Scarlet Knights, who have won two of their last three games and four of their last seven, but no one can doubt the star power of star freshmen and projected top five NBA Draft picks Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey.
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch, follow and listen to the matchup.
Tipoff: Noon on Sunday, Feb. 9 at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland
TV: Big Ten Network
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), Tim Barbalace (engineer)
Live Stats: Link
KenPom Line: Maryland -12
As of Saturday morning, Rutgers is 70th in the NET, 68th at KenPom and 71st at BartTorvik.
Steve Pikiell is in his ninth season coaching Rutgers. Sunday's game is a Quadrant Two opportunity for the Terps and a Quadrant One game for the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers is 57th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and 93rd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. It shoots 33.3% from three.
Bailey, a 6-foot-10 guard, is Rutgers' leading scorer and rebounder at 20.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. He also averages a team-most 1.4 blocks per game. He shoots 47.1% from the field and 38.5% from three. Bailey has three 30-point games on the season, including a 39-point showing in a 79-72 win at Northwestern on Jan. 29, a game Harper missed. During conference play, Bailey ranks first in the Big Ten in percentage of shots taken (32.3%), eighth in block percentage (5.8%), 11th in offensive rebounding percentage (9%) and 18th in both defensive rebounding percentage (19.7%) and fouls drawn per 40 minutes (five), per KenPom.
Harper missed two games with a sprained ankle but returned for the Illinois game, posting 28 points, six rebounds and five assists. He averages 19.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He shoots 48.7% from the field and 35.1% from three. Harper has two 30-point games, both of which came in November – a 37-point game in a loss to Alabama and a 36-point showing in a win over Notre Dame. During Big Ten play, Harper ranks fourth in the conference in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (four) and 13th in assist rate (23.9%).
Redshirt senior guard Jeremiah Williams, 6-foot-7 freshman forward Dylan Grant and 6-foot-10 freshman center Lathan Sommerville joined the two superstars in Rutgers' most recent starting five. Sommerville is Rutgers' third-leading scorer at 7.2 points per game. He also averages 4.2 rebounds per game and shoots 49.1% from the field. Williams, who was a key in Rutgers' road win over Maryland last season, averages 6.8 points per game and shoots 44.4% and 21.2% (7-for-33) from three. Grant, who has started the last seven games, averages 5.2 points per game and shoots 40% from the field and 27.6% from three.
Merrimack transfer guard Jordan Derkack, sophomore guard Jamichael Davis and 6-foot-8 Princeton transfer forward/center Zach Martini all average double-digit minutes off the bench. Derkack averages seven points and 3.5 rebounds per game, but he has struggled to shoot the ball (43.7% from two and 26.3% from three). Davis averages 4.4 points per game but also has low shooting percentages (39.7% from two and 29.4% from three). Martini averages 3.8 points per game and is a 34.5% three-point shooter.
Bryce Dortch, a 6-foot-9 freshman forward, played 11 minutes against Illinois, and San Diego transfer guard/forward PJ Hayes IV and Eastern Michigan transfer guard Tyson Acuff played four minutes apiece to wrap up the rotation against the Fighting Illini. Dortch, who recently burned his redshirt, has yet to score in four games. Hayes is averaging 3.3 points per game and shooting 34.8% (16-for-46) from three. Acuff averages 4.6 points per game and is a 37.7% (23-for-61) three-point shooter.
Rutgers certainly has the star power to beat the teams at the top of the Big Ten, but the roster as a whole has not been good enough to be in the tournament conversation. Maryland is a sizable favorite in a potential trap game, and the home crowd may not be a rocking 17,950 just hours before the Super Bowl with the Terps coming off a loss. The Terps are a perfect 5-0 at home in Big Ten play, and they need to continue to protect their home floor with a stretch of winnable games ahead.
