After a win against Michigan finished off an undefeated three-game homestand Saturday, Maryland travels on the road to face Rutgers in the Terrapins' penultimate regular season game. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, televised on the Big Ten Network with streaming available on BTN2Go.
The two teams first met on Jan. 14 in College Park, a game Maryland won, 73-65. Rutgers hasn't won a conference game since Jan. 11 vs. Wisconsin, losing 12 in a row (seven of them by double-digits). They're in last place in the Big Ten, and that upset win against Wisconsin is getting further and further away.
Players to know
Myles Mack, senior, 5'10. Rutgers' leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, he also leads the team with 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals. He scored 19 with six assists against Maryland last time.
Kadeem Jack, senior, 6'9. The only other double-digit scorer on the Scarlet Knights, Jack is averaging 12.8 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game. He's the team's best offensive rebounder, and had nine points with six rebounds against Maryland in the first game.
Junior Etou, sophomore, 6'7. Rutgers' leading rebounder, Etou is averaging 6.5 per game with 7.4 points. He's a decent scorer on the inside and is particularly effective on the defensive boards. He had two points and seven rebounds in College Park.
Greg Lewis, junior, 6'9. A one-time Maryland target, Lewis is Rutgers' best shotblocker (1.0 per game). He scored eight points with four rebounds and a block against Maryland last time.
Strength:
Not fouling. Rutgers limits opposing trips to the free throw line, ranking No. 84 in free throw attempts/field goal attempts. Maryland still managed to draw fouls last game -- the Terps made 20-of-28 free throw attempts against the Scarlet Knights in College Park.
Weakness:
Three-point shooting. The Scarlet Knights are shooting 29.5 percent from beyond the arc, and their leading three-point shooter (minimum 10 attempts) is Jack, shooting 32.6 percent on the year. Against Maryland, they managed to shoot 41.2 percent from deep.
Predictions:
KenPom’s prediction: Maryland, 68-60. 79 percent chance Maryland wins.
Pete's prediction: Maryland, 67-54. Maryland is getting hot at the right time, and Rutgers hasn't been able to do anything of note since the Wisconsin game. It's tough to get road wins in the Big Ten, but Piscataway is probably the best place to try at the moment.