Michigan St. @ Maryland preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 15, 2020 ) Maryland 67, Michigan St 60

Eighth-ranked Maryland looks to clinch at least a share of its first Big Ten regular-season title Saturday night when it hosts No. 24 Michigan State. The Terrapins came from 17 down to defeat Minnesota on Wednesday, giving them a two-game lead on four teams heading into Saturday's action - a group that includes the Spartans, who are coming off a victory over No. 17 Iowa on Tuesday.

Michigan State is led by the inside-outside tandem of senior guard Cassius Winston and junior forward Xavier Tillman Sr. Winston paces the Spartans in scoring (18.4 points) and assists (5.8), while Tillman is contributing 13.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 blocks per game, making a case for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The Terrapins also have a solid guard/big man pairing in senior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. and sophomore forward Jalen Smith. Cowan is averaging a team-high 16.2 points and 4.8 assists along with pacing the team with 53 3-pointers, while Smith averages 15.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten): It's been a question mark all season long, but the Spartans still haven't answered how to get more consistent shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Michigan State is third in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage (34.9), but that's a testament to how hot they can get at times, like the 13-of-27 accuracy it had against Nebraska two games ago. Unfortunately, when the Spartans are bad, they're really bad, including going 4-of-19 on 3-point attempts in the previous meeting with Maryland - something they can't afford to repeat on Saturday.

ABOUT MARYLAND (23-5, 13-4): The Terrapins have shown a lot of heart this season, rallying from behind with five minutes to play to win four times against Big Ten opponents, including against Michigan State in the first meeting. The problem with the statistic is the fact that Maryland has allowed itself to get down late in the game that many times, which coach Mark Turgeon has certainly lectured his team about. While Cowan has proven to be a clutch player - and Darryl Morsell as well, after draining the game-winner against Minnesota with 1.9 seconds to play - the Terrapins can't live on the edge like that in March and expect to go far.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Michigan State G Rocket Watts has been hit or miss lately, scoring 16 or more points three times in the last seven games but failing to reach double figures in the other four contests during that stretch.

2. Cowan is four rebounds away from becoming just the second player in Big Ten history to record 1,800 points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds in a career (Talor Battle, Penn State).

3. The Terrapins are 15-0 at home this season, with the last time they started 15-0 at home coming in 2001-02 when they won the national title.

PREDICTION: Maryland 74, Michigan State 71