The Terps begin the bulk of their Big Ten slate on the road.
Maryland men’s basketball is on the precipice of being ranked, unofficially standing as the Associated Press poll’s No. 26 team in the country. With its nonconference schedule completed, it will have the opportunity to prove its capability in Big Ten play.
First up for the Terps on their two-game road trip is Washington. The Huskies currently sit 17th in the Big Ten standings after an 0-2 start to conference play.
The game will begin at 9:30 p.m. Thursday and air on Big Ten Network.
Washington Huskies (9-4, 0-2 Big Ten)
Head coach Danny Sprinkle is in his first season at the helm of the Huskies program, being named head coach in March. Sprinkle was previously with Utah State, where he guided the Aggies to their first NCAA Tournament win since 2001. He previously spent four seasons as head coach of Montana State, leading the Bobcats to an 81-43 record. Montana State was also where Sprinkle played college basketball; he earned Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors in 1996.
Washington’s Big Ten losses came against No. 15 UCLA and USC, by a combined margin of 35 points. It also lost to Seattle and Nevada, and secured wins over Washington State and Colorado State.
Players to watch
Great Osobor, senior forward, 6-foot-8, No. 1 — Osobor is Washington’s best player and one of two players on the team to start every game this season. He leads the team in points (14.2), rebounds (8.7), assists (3.6) and steals (2.1) per game.
Tyler Harris, sophomore guard, 6-foot-8, No. 8 — Although listed as a guard, Harris leads the Huskies in total blocks with 18 this season. He’s second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game and could prove to be a mismatch for some of Maryland’s smaller guards. Listed at just 190 pounds, it’s likely he will be matched up on the perimeter.
Tyree Ihenacho, senior guard, 6-foot-4, No. 6 — Ihenacho is the other player on the Huskies’ roster to start every game this season. He isn’t necessarily a prolific scorer, averaging just 5.3 points per game, but he’s second on the team in blocks (9) and boasts good size for a guard, presenting more matchup problems for the Terps.
Strength
Defense. While the Huskies allow the seventh most points per game (68.5) in the Big Ten, they create big plays on that side of the ball often. They rank eighth in the conference in steals per game (7.7) and tied for fourth in blocks per game (4.7).
Weakness
Free throws. Washington ranks dead last in the Big Ten in free throw percentage, hitting just 63.5% from the charity stripe on the season.
Three things to watch
1. Can the Terps bounce back? A 15-point win over Maryland-Eastern Shore was certainly not the dominant result head coach Kevin Willard was looking for. Maryland went just 5-of-18 from 3-point range after a few sensational performances from beyond the arc prior. Conference play will present even more challenges and less wiggle room for the Terps, so they will need to be on their A-game.
2. Can Julian Reese stack good performances? Reese tallied a season-high 23 points to go along with 11 rebounds and two blocks against Maryland-Eastern Shore. Washington boasts formidable size around the court, so it will be interesting to see if he can manufacture points and find ways to be impactful on both ends of the floor.
3. Can Maryland continue to win on the road? While the Terps haven’t played too many games away from Xfinity Center this season, it has just one road loss. That came against then-No. 8 Purdue at the boisterous Mackey Arena. On this two-game road trip, Maryland will be tested in West Coast Big Ten environments.