With just six games remaining in the season, Maryland men’s basketball has officially missed out on the top six seeds of the Big Ten Tournament — which may be a shocker to some Terps fans.
But with six games remaining, there is still something to play for within the conference. Maryland is out of the bottom four — teams that will play in the tournament’s first round, on Tuesday — by a tiebreaker. They’re only a win ahead of last place, yet a strong end to the season (and a generous amount of luck) could see the Terps rise as high as the top half of the 18-team table.
Advertisement
The Terps’ end-of-season schedule is relatively forgiving — but that also means that teams will be trying to drag Maryland down with them as they all claw upwards. The Northwestern Wildcats — one of three two-win teams in the conference — fit that exact mold.
Maryland heads to Illinois seeking a much-needed midweek win. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. EST Wednesday from Evanston, Illinois, and be available to watch on Big Ten Network.
Northwestern Wildcats (10-16, 2-13 Big Ten)
2024-25 record: 17-16, 7-13 Big Ten
Just two years ago, Northwestern was a frisky tournament team under head coach Chris Collins, beating Florida Atlantic and asking serious questions of eventual national champions UConn. Terps fans are already aware of how quickly those days can slip away, though.
Advertisement
Over Collins’ 12-year career, Northwestern has been capable of producing big wins, but it has never made it past the second round. That streak is unlikely to end this year, as the Wildcats have regressed somewhat for the second straight season. Faith in the coach’s ability to fulfill his contract through 2030 and bring the team back has not waned, but it’s certainly a down year in Evanston.
Players to watch
Nick Martinelli, senior forward, 6-foot-7, No. 2 — Martinelli is Northwestern basketball this year, a primary reason that the season has not been even worse. The four-year Wildcat’s 22.1 points per game lead the Big Ten, and his 6.4 rebounds per game are 19th-most in the conference.
While he possesses the size and athleticism to work effectively in the post, Martinelli shoots 43% from beyond the arc. He scored 28 of Northwestern’s 61 points in the teams’ meeting in College Park last season and scored 22 while playing every minute when the Wildcats beat Maryland in January. Yet he’s arguably primed to be even more impactful Wednesday.
Advertisement
Jayden Reid, junior guard, 5-foot-10, No. 4 — It’s Maryland’s turn to be on the receiving end of the efforts of an undersized, determined hooper. Reed is a prototypical college basketball point guard, scoring at a solid 10 point-per-game clip but focusing on distributing the ball. The Wildcats’ offense runs through him — he’s averaging just under five assists per game.
Tre Singleton, freshman forward, 6-foot-8, No. 8 — Singleton’s 25 minutes per game are second-most on the team, and the freshman has rewarded Collins’ faith in that time on the court. An absurd 18-rebound game against Penn State has somewhat inflated his numbers, but Singleton sits at around eight points and five rebounds per game while shooting 47% from the field.
Strength
Ball security. There are a lot of flaws in this Wildcats team, but they are able to retain possession well. Northwestern’s 8.6 turnovers per game are fewest in the conference, and as a result, their assist-to-turnover ratio is behind only Purdue among Big Ten teams.
Advertisement
Weakness
Three-point shooting. The Wildcats are the only team in the Big Ten that is shooting the deep ball worse than Maryland this year. Its 31.1% success rate on those shots is 318th in the country. Martinelli is the only Wildcat with at least 25 made 3-pointers.
Three things to watch
1. Can Maryland make its free throws? The Terps have regressed from the free throw line over the course of the season, an issue that has drawn more attention the longer it has gone on. Maryland has gone 75% or better from the stripe just once in its last eight games. For a team that is desperate for points, that will not do.
Advertisement
2. How does the ball bounce? According to data from KenPom, Northwestern is the fifth-unluckiest team in all of Division I basketball. For comparison, the Terps sit at 90th of the 365 teams. Math suggests that most teams would have expected to do better, per their statistics — games against teams like Maryland are places where those numbers could even themselves out.
3. How short does the rotation get? In recent games, Maryland has sent just eight or nine players into the game. Against Rutgers, outside of Diggy Coit, the bench accrued a combined total of three points in nine minutes of action. If Maryland can avoid foul trouble, its main six players might be enough to get by. But the emergence of a second viable option off the bench late in the season would be monumental.
