Following their season-best victory against Iowa on February 11th, Maryland men’s basketball has since dropped two straight games. In their most recent outing against Northwestern, Andre Mills delivered an outstanding performance with 39 points, yet his teammates contributed only 35 combined in the defeat.
With just five games left in their schedule, the Terps are looking to secure some crucial wins before the season ends. Their upcoming match against Washington provides one such opportunity.
While the Huskies boast a superior record compared to Maryland’s recent opponents, they remain at a .500 winning percentage for the season. Their last game saw them clinch a home win over Minnesota, though they previously suffered a narrow three-point loss to Penn State.
The game on Saturday is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. and will be available for streaming on Peacock.
Washington Huskies (13-13, 5-10 Big Ten)
Head coach Danny Sprinkle is currently in his second season leading the Huskies. His inaugural year proved disappointing, as the team concluded with a 13-18 record. Sprinkle’s most notable coaching successes occurred during his tenure at Utah State, where he guided the Aggies to a Mountain West regular-season championship and an NCAA Tournament berth. Although All-Big Ten honorable mention forward Great Osobor joined Sprinkle in Seattle, the senior had exhausted his eligibility.
Prior to his time with the Aggies, Sprinkle spent four seasons as head coach for Montana State, during which he led that program to two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Hannes Steinbach, freshman forward, 6-foot-11, No. 6 — The absence of Osobor is somewhat mitigated for Sprinkle’s squad, thanks to the emergence of this German native. Amidst one of the strongest national freshman classes in recent memory, Steinbach stands out as a top performer. He is currently averaging a double-double with 18 points and 11.3 rebounds, with his 18 points per game leading the team.
Steinbach leads all Power Five players with 16 double-doubles and ranks fourth nationally in rebounds per game.
Zoom Diallo, sophomore guard, 6-foot-4, No. 5 — As a guard, Diallo’s 48.8 field goal percentage places him 12th in the conference. He is also second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game. Despite his swift-sounding name, Diallo’s primary strengths lie in his imposing size and physical play, which he consistently leverages to exploit defensive mismatches and draw fouls for free throws.
Franck Kepnang, graduate student center, 6-foot-11, No. 11 — Although Kepnang averages only 6.1 points per game, his significant contributions are made on the defensive end. He has accumulated 55 blocks this season, which is 30 more than any other player on the team, and he is a reliable presence, having started 24 of 26 games.
Rebounding. The Huskies average 12 offensive rebounds per game, placing them fourth in the conference and just behind Maryland. They exhibit similar prowess on the defensive boards, also ranking fourth in the Big Ten with 37.3 total rebounds per game.
Three-point shooting. Heading into Wednesday’s game, three-point shooting was identified as Northwestern’s weakness, yet they connected on 12 treys at over 50% accuracy. Washington currently holds the fourth-lowest three-point percentage in the conference (32.1%), meaning the Terps cannot afford to be complacent in their perimeter defense.
1. Andre Mills’ development. Over his last eight appearances, Mills has progressively scored 16, 18, 24, and 39 points. His growth as a player has been a welcome sight for Terps fans during a challenging season. It will be compelling to observe if the freshman guard can sustain this momentum after his explosive performance on Wednesday.
2. Collin Metcalf minutes. The senior transfer from Northeastern has recently seen a significant increase in his playing time, starting and playing at least 15 minutes in each of the team’s last six contests. His presence in the paint and rebounding abilities will be crucial for counteracting the Huskies, who are a strong offensive rebounding team.
3. Diggy Coit bounce-back? In Maryland’s two consecutive defeats, Coit registered modest scoring totals of just 12 and 7 points, respectively. Historically, Coit’s high-scoring outputs correlate positively with Terps victories; his last three games with over 15 points all resulted in wins. It will be intriguing to see if the guard can ignite a strong start this Saturday.