Maryland basketball vs. Northwestern: preview, how to watch & more

Maryland basketball’s road struggles this season have been well-documented. The Terps have lost seven straight games away from home, a skid which will most likely keep them out of the NCAA Tournament. The defeats have seemed so similar that we made a checklist for them.

But there’s one road game remaining in the regular season, as the Terps visit Northwestern on Monday night at 7 p.m. ET. The teams met just nine days ago, with the Terps winning 73-57 at Xfinity Center. It’s also possible they meet yet again again next week, as the teams are currently in position to earn the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in the Big Ten Tournament.

What happened last time

Maryland’s 16-point victory over the Wildcats on Feb. 10 was one of its more complete performances of the season, as the Terps shot 52 percent to Northwestern’s 35 percent for the afternoon. Kevin Huerter tallied 14 points in the first few minutes and finished with 22, while Maryland received important contributions from guards Darryl Morsell and Dion Wiley on both ends of the floor.

On the other side, Scottie Lindsey led Northwestern with 22 points, while senior point guard Bryant McIntosh went 0-for-5 from the floor and was held scoreless for the first time in his college career. The Wildcats will need both of its backcourt leaders, as well as veteran forward Dererk Pardon, to step up if they want revenge over the Terps.

What’s happened since

Both teams have played just two games since the first meeting. Maryland continued its trend of losing on the road during the week and responding with a weekend victory at home. The Terps came up just short at Nebraska on Tuesday before cruising past Rutgers (but surrendering a backdoor cover) on Saturday night. Bruno Fernando was stellar in both contests, averaging 19.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. He made 17 of his 23 shots last week, including his first career three-pointer and a dunk that came in at No. 2 on SportsCenter’s top plays.

Northwestern had a hectic and disappointing week, losing twice to extend the skid to three straight games. The Wildcats fell in overtime at Rutgers, then couldn’t hold a 43-16 lead (!!!!!) over Michigan State in a five-point loss Saturday. If they can’t right the ship against the Terps, then they’ll have two more chances against Wisconsin and at Iowa to close the regular season.

The numbers

Maryland: 18-11 (7-9 Big Ten)

Northwestern: 15-13 (6-9 Big Ten)

All-time series: Maryland leads 6-1

Odds: Northwestern is favored by 1.5 points

How to watch & listen

Monday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m. ET, Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois

TV: FS1 - Justin Kutcher (Play-by-Play), Bill Raftery (Analyst)

Live streaming: Fox Sports Go

Radio: 105.7 FM (Balt.) / ESPN 980 AM (DC), Sirus 83 / XM 83, TuneIn Radio App (Johnny Holliday, Chris Knoche)