Maryland men’s basketball announces Big Ten schedule

This story was initially published after Maryland’s early Big Ten games were reported. It has been updated to include the entire conference slate.

Maryland men’s basketball’s 2018-19 schedule is complete.

Last season, the Big Ten added two December games to the conference basketball season. With the league moving to a 20-game league schedule for 2018-19, Maryland men’s basketball will once again play one home and one away game at the beginning of December.

On Monday, Jon Rothstein reported the Terps will host Penn State at the Xfinity Center on Dec. 1, before facing Purdue on the road on Dec. 6. The Terps split with Penn State last season and went 0-2 against Purdue, including a home December loss.

That news was confirmed Tuesday, along with the 2019 portion of Maryland’s Big Ten schedule.

After concentrating most of its non-conference schedule at home, Maryland will travel a good amount in league play, and play four sets of back-to-back road games. One of those back-to-back series is essentially a three-game road trip, with Maryland’s “home” matchup against Illinois actually taking place in Madison Square Garden on Jan. 26.

We now know all of Maryland’s 2018-19 games.

Those two contests will break up an 11-game non-conference slate, and come at its most difficult point. The Terps play 13 games before the calendar turns; all but three of those will be in the Xfinity Center and all but two are considered home games.

After an Oct. 30 exhibition against Division II Lynn College, Maryland will play seven games before playing the Nittany Lions at the beginning of December. The Terps officially start the season on Nov. 6 against Delaware.

Maryland invites Penn State to town on the heels of a Nov. 28 matchup with Virginia in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Terps then get five days of rest before taking on the Boilermakers in Indiana. It’s a quick turnaround after that, as Maryland matches up with Loyola-Chicago two days later in Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena.

Maryland’s only other road game during this stretch will still keep the team in the state. The Terps’ first true road game will come at Navy during the Veteran’s Memorial Classic on Nov. 9.

It won’t get easier after the New Year.

Outside of that early four-game test, Maryland’s toughest challenges will come in the new year. It’s a good thing Maryland got its home games in early, as it will only have two true sets of back-to-back home contests once the calendar year turns.

Maryland has nine January games scheduled, with four games at the Xfinity Center, four true road tests and a neutral site game (technically home) in Madison Square Garden. The matchup with Illinois will function as part of the Big Ten’s “Super Saturday—College Hoops & Hockey” doubleheader. The trip also comes on the heels of back-to-back road games against Ohio State and Michigan State.

Maryland should get used to being on the road in February, where five of the Terps’ seven contests that month will be away from home. February features road games against Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa before Maryland ends the month with a second matchup against Penn State. For its only home games of the month, Maryland will welcome Purdue to town for its second matchup of the season on Feb. 12, then see Ohio State for the second time on Feb 23.

While not likely to be much easier than its overall slate, the scheduling committee did give the Terps their second, and final, two-game homestand to end the season. Maryland’s only two scheduled March games are home matchups with Minnesota and Michigan. The Big Ten Tournament will then run from March 13-17 at the United Center in Chicago.

Last season, the Terps went 7-10 after the New Year and only strung together one set of back-to-back wins. With head coach Mark Turgeon’s seat heating up, he’ll hope the team’s chemistry from its undefeated training tour around Italy carries through the season.