Michigan State is finally back at the Breslin Center as the Spartans are set to host the Maryland Terrapins Tuesday evening. Start time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time with the game being broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Jason Ross, Jr. and Christy Winters Scott will be on the call for the broadcast. The matchup also marks the start of four of the next six games being played in East Lansing after MSU played its last four in a row on the road.
The Spartans (11-3, 1-2 B1G) are coming off a gut-wrenching loss at No. 4/3 Iowa last Tuesday, while the Terrapins (10-4, 2-1 B1G) had an unexpected break in action due to a water leak in the roof of their home court at the XFinity Center. A Jan. 6 matchup against Purdue was postponed as a result, leaving UMD off since its 72-64 road win at Minnesota last Wednesday, Jan. 3.
The Terps got back on the winning side of the column in the matchup against the Golden Gophers after returning to Big Ten play with an 87-81 loss at Nebraska. UMD's three other losses on the season all came in non-conference play against ranked opponents (No. 6 South Carolina, 114-76; No. 8 UConn, 80-48; No. 23 Washington State, 87-67).
The teams also feature a common opponent in James Madison, MSU defeating the Dukes on Nov. 23 in a 95-69 victory in the Cancun Challenge, and UMD at home on Dec. 20 in a 78-55 decision.
Shyanne Sellers leads Maryland in points (16.6 ppg), rebounds (5.9 rpg), assists (5.4 apg), and steals (2.0 spg), making her the first to do so in four states since Alyssa Thomas did so in 2012-2013 in the final years of ACC membership. The junior guard is sixth in the in the conference in scoring and fifth in assists, but ranks No. 14 in assist/turnover ratio (1.6) thanks to an average of 3.4 turnovers per game.
Bri McDaniel is second for UMD in scoring with 11.0 ppg and the sophomore guard ranks seventh in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.833). Redshirt-junior forward Allie Kubek (10.5 ppg) and graduate guard Jakia Brown-Turner (10.1 ppg) round scorers averaging double figures for Maryland. Meanwhile, Brinae Alexander is fourth in the B1G in 3-point field goal percentage (.417) and averages 9.5 ppg.
Overall, Maryland's offense sits fifth in the league in scoring offense, averaging 80.9 ppg, and the Terps sit in 10th in scoring (+9.9). UMD is in the upper half of the league in free throw percentage (.745, fourth) and steals (8.5 spg, sixth) as well. Defensively, the Terps are holding their opponents to 71.1 ppg, good for 13th in the Big Ten.
UMD is led by head coach Brenda Frese who holds a 573-151 record in her 22nd season in College Park, and her 25 total seasons as head coach boast a 630-181 career record.
Maryland leads Michigan State in a lopsided series, holding an 18-2 record all-time. The series currently sees MSU looking to snap a seven-game losing streak, and will look to repeat the last victory over UMD that came in a 77-60 victory in East Lansing on Jan. 17, 2019. The win marks the only home win for MSU in the series with the Spartans sitting at 1-6 in East Lansing, 1-7 in College Park, and 0-5 on neutral courts.
The other long win over UM came on Jan. 11, 2018 in College Park when MSU defeated Maryland 82-68. Last season saw the teams meet twice during the regular season, and Maryland swept MSU with a 94-85 victory in College Park on Jan. 7 and a 66-61 win in East Lansing on Feb. 18.
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