EAST LANSING– Michigan State men’s basketball hosts the Maryland Terrapins at the Breslin Center on Saturday.
MSU leads the all-time series 17-8, with a seven-game win streak over the Terrapins.
The last four contests have all been close, low-scoring affairs with neither team reaching 70 points. Last season, the Spartans stole a game in College Park when former Spartans guard Tre Holloman converted a half-court buzzer-beater for the 58-55 win.
Maryland has had a lot of turnover in the past year. Star center Derik Queen was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. Head coach Kevin Willard left Maryland for the Villanova job after a Sweet Sixteen run. The Terrapins brought in Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams.
In a transition season, the Terrapins have struggled, getting out to a 1-7 start in Big Ten play.
The Terrapins have been without leading scorer, senior forward Pharrell Payne for over a month now. Without his 17 points per game, Maryland has had challenges on the offensive end.
In Payne’s absence, senior guard David Coit has taken the reins of the Terrapins’ offense. Against Penn State, Coit had a career-high 43 points in Maryland’s lone conference win.
Michigan State returns home after a successful 2-0 road trip to the West Coast, where the Spartans outscored their opponents 148-115.
Defense, rebound, and run have been the three keys for MSU head coach Tom Izzo’s entire career.
The Spartans are ranked No. 9 in Ken Pom net rating, which is carried by the No. 1-ranked defense in the country.
Also, the Spartans have dominated the glass all season; they hold the highest defensive rebounding percentage in the nation at 81.4 percent.
When the Spartans are getting stops on defense and getting rebounds, their offense opens up, as they are always dangerous in transition.
Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. has scored in double figures in a career-high seven straight games. Fears Jr. has emerged as a candidate for the All-Big Ten First Team with his play this season.
Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Saturday. Catch Joe Dez and Jack Stager on the radio broadcast locally on Impact 89 FM or streaming on the website https://impact89fm.org/.
