IU basketball game day: Hoosiers host Maryland on Monday night

Unbelievable drama unfolded a year ago when IU and Maryland last met.

After rallying from a 14-point first half deficit, Indiana let a 7-point lead of their own slip away in the final two minutes at Assembly Hall.  Then Jalen Smith taunted the IU crowd, while the world learned of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant.

The Hoosiers and Terrapins are unlikely to match any of that when they meet again on Monday night in Bloomington.  But the stakes are still very high.

It’s a pair of teams with 1-win in league play looking to make a move in the Big Ten.

GAME DAY ESSENTIALS

Maryland (6-4, 1-3) at Indiana (6-4, 1-2)

• Tip time:  8:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
• Television:  Big Ten Network (Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo)
• IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith)
• Series:  Series tied 8-8 (Maryland won last meeting 77-76 in 2020)
• Point Spread:  Indiana is a 4.5-point favorite
• KenPom has No. 24 Indiana by 4 points over No. 45 Maryland

Maryland is led by 10th year coach Mark Turgeon who is 210-103 in College Park.

See also:  

• Miller going to bench to help defense and fatigue
• Miller and Jackson-Davis discuss Maryland
• Turgeon discusses Indiana

MEET THE TERRAPINS

# Name   Pos   Ht.  Wt.  Class  PPG RPG

1 James Graham III G/F 6-8 205 Fr.
2 Aaron Wiggins G 6-6 200 Jr.10.4 4.7
5 Eric Ayala G 6-5 200 Jr. 14.8 3.1
12 Reese Mona G 6-2 185 Sr. 1.1 1.3
13 Hakim Hart G 6-6 205 So. 9.1 2.8
15 Chol Marial C 7-2 235 So. 2.0 1.5
23 Aquan Smart G 6-3 175 Jr. 2.2 1.6
24 Donta Scott F 6-7 230 So. 13.5 6.8
25 Jairus Hamilton F 6-8 235 Jr. 8.8 3.1
30 Galin Smith F 6-9 235 Sr. 4.9 2.6

Note:  Senior guard Darryl Morsell (7.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg) will not play due to injury.

Maryland has defeated Indiana in 6-of-9 meetings since joining the Big Ten in 2014-15, including three straight.

Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon is in his 10th season at the helm for the Terrapins, having led the program to more than 20 wins in five of the last six seasons. Turgeon’s .638 (74-42) winning percentage in Big Ten Conference play ranks fifth all-time among coaches with at least 50 wins since 1980, trailing only Bo Ryan (.717), Bob Knight (.700), Tom Izzo (.691) and Thad Matta (.658).

Sophomore Donta Scott (pictured) set an XFINITY Center record Thursday evening when he connected on all five 3-point attempts.  Over his last eight games, Scott is averaging 14.9 points and shooting 59-percent from 3-point range.

The Terrapins have one of the most efficient offenses in the country, ranked No. 11 in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom.  They are top-35 in both effective field goal percentage and turnover percentage.

Things are not going as well on the defensive end where Maryland is No. 12 in the Big Ten in adjusted defensive efficiency.  The Terps are outside the top-250 in both turnover percentage and 3-point percentage defense.

MARYLAND OFFENSE HAS MILLER CONCERNED

It’s no secret Indiana’s defense has struggled during Big Ten play covering smaller teams that place four or five out on the perimeter.

Northwestern, Illinois and Penn State were good preparation for Maryland, another team that likes to spread teams out and attack with dribble penetration.

After seeing his defense struggle over the last two weeks, IU coach Archie Miller has legitimate concerns about the Terps.

“They are playing terrific on offense right now. Their offense has really developed here recently in the last three to five games and especially since the conference season has started,” Miller said of Maryland.  “They are a prolific 3-point shooting team and have a couple unique lineups with Donta Scott and Jairus Hamilton in the game in particular. Those guys have caused a lot of problems for opposing teams in terms of how they attack, shoot, and are able to spread the floor out on your front court players.”

Scott, Hamilton and Hakim Hart are all above 38 percent from long-range, and all three have attempted at least 31 shots from 3-point range.  Scott has particularly caught Miller’s eye in film study.

“They have some guys playing really well, especially Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins who are the known guys, but I think Donta Scott might one of the most improved payers in the country,” Miller added.

Indiana fans will reluctantly recall Maryland forward Jalen Smith torching the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall last January from behind-the-arc.

The Terrapins have been following a similar approach to this point, with Scott, Hart and Hamilton, all in the 6-foot-8 to 6-foot-6 range, posing major frontcourt threats from the perimeter.

“We are very concerned with Maryland’s ability to space out in the half court,” Miller said.  “They did it a year ago here. They changed their offense before they came in a played us and played five out the whole first and second half. They made us guard the dribble and they confused us with exchanges, dribble weaves, handoffs, and ball screens. It turned into a very difficult cover for us.

“I think that is on our mind. Maryland is presenting a lot of problems right now for other teams in terms of being able to handle their ball screens, handoffs, and their weaves. Their front court players are doing such a great job so it is obviously a huge concern.”

While IU faces the daunting prospect of three league games this week (at Wisconsin, at Nebraska), the Terrapins have had Miller’s full attention.

“To be honest with you, we have only been thinking about Maryland and we have enough on our plate with them,” he said.

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