Iowa @ Maryland preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 10, 2020 ) Maryland 49, Iowa 67

Iowa looks to continue its recent surge when it visits Maryland on Thursday in a Big Ten game. The No. 18 Hawkeyes have won five consecutive games, including a 68-62 victory against Wisconsin on Monday, and are tied for fourth with the 15th-ranked Terrapins in the conference standings, and hope to stay in the mix for their first Big Ten regular season championship in 40 years by completing the season sweep of Maryland following a 67-49 rout Jan. 10.

“We have a group that doesn’t give up and we believe in each other,” Iowa guard C.J. Fredrick told reporters. “We believe in the game plan that coach puts together and we just keep executing until the horn blows." Maryland rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 1:25 to edge Indiana 77-76 on Sunday. The Terrapins have won three consecutive games, including a pair of victories on the road, to move up in the national rankings for the first time in a month, and hope to improve to 12-0 at home in the first of a three-game gauntlet against Top 25 teams. “This is big for the program,” Maryland guard Aaron Wiggins told reporters. “Being in the top three in the race for No. 1 in the conference makes us a lot more confident in our abilities.

TIME: 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT IOWA (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten): Luka Garza scored 21 points and matched his career high with 18 rebounds in the win against Wisconsin to register his Big Ten-leading 12th double-double of the season. Fredrick added 17 points while Joe Wieskamp finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Badgers to notch his third double-double of the season. Joe Toussaint registered 11 points and four assists to help the Hawkeyes overcome a 12-point deficit with 7:13 to play.

ABOUT MARYLAND (16-4, 6-3): Jalen Smith was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Week after averaging 27 points, 11 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in the wins over Northwestern (77-66) and Indiana. Smith racked up a career-high 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds to record his third straight double-double while Anthony Cowan Jr. added 18 points and four assists, as the Terrapins scored the final seven points of the game against Indiana. Darryl Morsell produced 10 points and six rebounds while Wiggins finished with eight points to help Maryland earn its first win in Bloomington since joining the Big Ten.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Maryland has won 19 of its last 20 home games.

2. Smith is 17-of-30 from 3-point range in Big Ten play.

3. Garza has finished with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in nine games this season.

PREDICTION: Maryland 74, Iowa 71