Halftime Report
Northwestern has overcome an early deficit to take the lead back in this one. They have jumped out to a quick 38-37 lead against Maryland.
Northwestern entered the matchup with three straight defeats and they’re well on their way to making it four. Can they turn things around, or will Maryland hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
Maryland Terrapins @ Northwestern Wildcats
Current Records: Maryland 13-4, Northwestern 10-6
How To Watch
What to Know
Northwestern will be in front of their home fans on Thursday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They and the Maryland Terrapins will face off in a Big Ten battle at 9:00 p.m. ET at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats are limping into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Maryland is facing Northwestern at the wrong time: Northwestern suffered their first home loss of the season on Sunday and they’re likely out for redemption. They took a 78-68 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Spartans.
The losing side was boosted by Nick Martinelli, who had 27 points in addition to two steals. He had some trouble finding his footing against Purdue last Sunday, so this was a step in the right direction. Another player making a difference was Jalen Leach, who earned 17 points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Northwestern smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Maryland beat Minnesota 77-71 on Monday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Terrapins.
Maryland’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Derik Queen, who went 10 for 15 en route to 27 points plus seven rebounds. Queen had some trouble finding his footing against UCLA on Friday, so this was a nice turnaround. The team also got some help courtesy of Rodney Rice, who had 21 points.
Northwestern’s defeat ended a nine-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 10-6. As for Maryland, they pushed their record up to 13-4 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Northwestern hasn’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 9.8 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like Maryland struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging only 10.3. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Northwestern was able to grind out a solid win over Maryland when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 68-61. Will Northwestern repeat their success, or does Maryland have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Maryland is a slight 1-point favorite against Northwestern, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Terrapins as a 1.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 141.5 points.
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Series History
Maryland has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Northwestern.
- Feb 28, 2024 – Northwestern 68 vs. Maryland 61
- Jan 17, 2024 – Northwestern 72 vs. Maryland 69
- Feb 26, 2023 – Maryland 75 vs. Northwestern 59
- Jan 12, 2022 – Maryland 94 vs. Northwestern 87
- Dec 05, 2021 – Northwestern 67 vs. Maryland 61
- Mar 03, 2021 – Northwestern 60 vs. Maryland 55
- Feb 18, 2020 – Maryland 76 vs. Northwestern 67
- Jan 21, 2020 – Maryland 77 vs. Northwestern 66
- Jan 29, 2019 – Maryland 70 vs. Northwestern 52
- Feb 19, 2018 – Maryland 71 vs. Northwestern 64
