Indiana basketball is back home inside the friendly confines of Assembly Hall on Sunday for a noon clash with Maryland.
The Hoosiers (14-6 overall, 5-4 in Big Ten play) are fresh off a disappointing loss on the road against Northwestern in which Indiana surrendered 54 second-half points. The Terrapins (15-5 overall, 5-4 in Big Ten play) most recently went into Champaign and took down No. 17 Illinois by 21 points.
Before Indiana welcomes Maryland to Bloomington, preview the Sunday matinee.
HEAD COACH PROFILE
Head Coach: Kevin Willard
Record: 323-245 in 18th year overall, 53-35 in 3rd year at Maryland
Since taking over at Maryland, Kevin Willard has led the Terrapins to a handful of notable firsts for the program.
During his tenure in College Park, Willard become the first head coach in Big Ten history to win each of his first seven games by 15 or more points. He also became the Terrapins' first head coach to win 20 or more games in their first year with the program.
Willards' lengthy head coaching career began back in 2007, when he took over Iona. After spending three seasons with the Gaels, Willard made his way to the Big East at Seton Hall.
There, Willard led the Pirates to five NCAA Tournaments in 12 years. He also won two Big East titles—one regular season championship and one conference tournament championship.
THIS SEASON
Maryland began the season strong, going 6-1 throughout non-conference play in the month of November. The one loss in that stretch came at home to then-No. 15 Marquette—a four point loss for the Terrapins.
The Terps kick started Big Ten play in December with a 24-point win at home versus Ohio State. Maryland then went to West Lafayette and fell by five to then-No. 8 Purdue. After closing out non-conference play strong, the Terrapins struggled as Big Ten play picked back up in January.
Maryland lost two consecutive games—both out on the west coast to Washington and Oregon—before coming back home and collecting two straight wins over UCL and Minnesota. Since then, Maryland has lost on the road in overtime to Northwestern and now won two consecutive contests against Nebraska and Illinois.
On the season, Maryland is averaging 83.6 points per game on 48.8% shooting from the field and 35.8% shooting from downtown. The Terrapins are one of the better teams in the Big Ten at taking care of the basketball, turning it over 10.5 times a game.
Defensively, Maryland is allowing 64.8 points a contest. The Terrapins are holding their opponents to shot 41.3% shooting from the floor and 31.0% from 3-point range.
The Terrapins rank 19th in Kenpom, possessing the nation's 29th-ranked offense and 17th-ranked defense. In the NET, Maryland ranks 19th.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Center Derik Queen: Queen, someone Hoosier fans may be familiar with after Maryland beat out Indiana for his commitment, is leading the Terrapins in scoring this season. He's averaging 15.6 points per game on 56.2% shooting from the floor. Queen, a native of Baltimore, Maryland is also averaging 8.0 rebounds a contest. In Maryland's win over Illinois, Queen went for 25 points. He has five double-doubles on the season.
- Guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie: A native of Greeneville, Tennessee, Gillespie transferred to Maryland from Belmont this offseason by way of the transfer portal. Gillespie is averaging 14.4 points per game, and he's shooting 47.7% from the filed and 42.3% from downtown—on 5.6 attempts a game—this year. The 6-foot-1 guard averages 4.5 assists per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.7.
- Forward Julian Reese: Reese, a true senior, is averaging 13.7 points per game on the season. He's shooting 56.7% from the field and pulling down a team-best 9.2 rebounds a night, averaging 1.5 blocks as well. In that win over Illinois, Reese tallied 27 points and 17 rebounds, both of which are career-highs.
STORYLINES TO WATCH
The last time in Assembly Hall...
The last time Indiana played in Assembly Hall, head coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers were booed off the floor following a historic loss to Illinois. Indiana allowed 60 points in the first half—the most surrendered by the Hoosiers in a single half in 25 years—and went into the halftime locker room trailing by 28 points—the largest halftime deficit for any Indiana team in the last quarter of a century. The Illini's 94 points were the most scored by a visiting team in regulation in Assembly Hall since the building opened. The Hoosiers' 25-point loss was the second-worst loss in program history. Indiana was embarrassed by Illinois the last time the Hoosiers played at home. Considering the difficult slate of games ahead for Indiana, the Hoosiers can ill-afford another record-breaking loss at home on Sunday.
The battle of the bigs...
Probably the most important matchup between Indiana and Maryland is the battle down in the paint. The Hoosiers like to run two bigs—Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo—as do the Terrapins—Derik Queen and Julian Reese. The matchup is intriguing, as the sets of bigs aren't identical. For Indiana, Reneau, who plays the four, is a little more mobile and better with the ball in her hands, while Ballo is more of the bruiser down low at the five spot. For Maryland, Reese, who plays more of the four for the Terrapins, is more of the bruiser and board swallower down low. Meanwhile, Queen is more mobile and comfortable operating out on the perimeter. Whichever duo of big men plays better may push their respective team to victory on Sunday afternoon.
Is Mackenzie Mgbako back...
Against Northwestern, Mackenzie Mgbako went for a team-high 20 points. He shot 8-of-14 from the field and 3-of-7 from 3-point range. That breakout performance—in a loss to the Wildcats—came after a string of poor performances for the Indiana sophomore. Entering the game against Northwestern, Mgbako was averaging 4.0 points per game and shooting 13.8% from the field and 28.6% from 3-point range over his four games prior to the clash in Evanston. As Indiana enters its toughest stretch of the season, Mgbako rediscovering his groove is key for the Hoosiers.
QUICK HITTERS
Who: Indiana (14-6, 5-4) vs. Maryland (15-5, 5-4)
Series History: Indiana leads all-time series 14-9 (Last Meeting: Indiana won 83-78 on March 3, 2024 in College Park, Maryland)
When: Jan. 26, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: CBS: Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Steve Lappas (analyst)
Radio: IU Radio Network: Don Fischer (Play-by-Play), Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick
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