Not even three weeks ago, Indiana stared at a 10-point deficit, at home, to the basement-dwelling Northwestern Wildcats, with 10 minutes remaining. The epitaph on the team’s gravestone was starting to be written: “2019-20 INDIANA HOOSIERS: 11/05/2019 – 01/08/2020”.
Then, things changed. Thanks to a renewed commitment to defense and rebounding, a greater use of the bench as a motivator, and one of the most substantial home-court advantages in the Big Ten, IU came back to knock off the Wildcats to keep their season afloat. Those same themes have persisted since that (metaphorically) stormy Wednesday winter night in Bloomington, as IU has steadied the ship, winning four of five games and thrusting themselves into the upper half of the Big Ten. On Thursday night, the Hoosiers enjoyed their biggest win of the season, beating No. 11 Michigan State, 67-63.
On Sunday afternoon, the 17th-ranked Maryland Terrapins (15-4, 5-3 B1G), led by coach Mark Turgeon, come to Assembly Hall to try to find their 2nd consecutive road win. The Terrapins opened as the No. 7 team in the nation in the preseason AP Poll, have reached as high as #3, and have been ranked every week this season.
According to KenPom, Maryland rates as the No. 10 team in the country, with a 40th-ranked offense and, perhaps surprisingly, a 5th-ranked defense (all national ranks, out of 350 D1 teams). The Terrapins love getting to the foul line, as they take 22.7 free throws per game (#27 in the country). Indiana attempts more from the line, but a big difference is that Maryland makes 73.3%, while IU converts at just a 67.7% clip.
IU leads the all-time series against Maryland, 8-7, and the Hoosiers have also won all three home tilts against the Terps since they joined the conference in 2014-15. Maryland has one victory all-time in Assembly Hall, which came Dec. 1, 2009, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
How to Watch
| Who | Maryland Terrapins at Indiana Hoosiers |
| When | Sunday, January 26, 2020 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Where | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana |
| Tickets | Find the Lowest Ticket Prices on SeatGeek |
| Watch | CBS (Kevin Harlan, Jim Spanarkel) |
| Stats | IU Stats |
| Listen | IU Radio Network |
| Spread | Indiana -1 |
Getting to Know the Terrapins
In some ways, Michigan State’s NBA comparison was the Cleveland Cavaliers of the 2000s, with one ball-dominant player in Cassius Winston surrounded by complementary pieces. On the other hand, Maryland’s comparison is more like the mid-’90s Seattle SuperSonics, who had two players handle most of the offensive responsibility in Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. Playing the role of Payton and Kemp for Maryland are point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. and forward Jalen Smith.
Cowan, a senior point guard from Bowie, MD, has played nearly 4,000 career minutes and has started every one of the 118 games in which he has played. He tallied a cool 13 points, six rebounds, and six assists in the Maryland’s 16-point win over the Hoosiers in College Park. However, Cowan’s numbers have dipped somewhat this season. For example, his 37.3% field-goal percentage is 2nd-lowest in the Big Ten for players who take at least 9 attempts per game, with teammate Aaron Wiggins (36.5%) “leading” the way. One positive for Cowan is his ability to stay out of foul trouble. He averages 36.5 MPG in Big Ten play, but only 1.6 fouls per game.
