#12 Maryland Terrapins vs. Michigan State Spartans Game Preview
By Cory Forsyth
The Maryland Terrapins travel to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans in their inaugural Big Ten game.
Teams: #12 Maryland Terrapins (12-1) vs. Michigan State Spartans (9-4)
Arena: Breslin Center (15,000) | East Lansing, Michigan
Tip Off: Tuesday, December 30 | 5PM ET
Tune In: ESPN2 – Dan Shulman (Play-by-Play), Dick Vitale (Analyst), WatchESPN, Terrapin Sports Radio Network – Johnny Holliday(Play-by-Play), Chris Knoche (Analyst), Walt Williams (Sideline); SiriusXM 84, ESPN 980.
Social: Follow @umterps and @TerrapinHoops on Twitter for updates.
The Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team has emerged from their non-conference schedule with only one loss and a #12 AP Top 25 ranking.
This is Maryland’s highest ranking since it was 12th in 2004. A lot of people didn’t know if Maryland could get their act together this season. Dick Vitale gave his thoughts on the Terps hot start.
Biggest surprise to me has been TERPS @ 12-1 Will join @DShulman_ESPN 4 their debut in BIG Tues @ 5 vs Spartans http://t.co/EI5mxVLde7
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) December 28, 2014
Terps Mark Turgeon had tough guy to follow in HOFer Gary Williams-doing fab job-Terps sit 12-1 & now have Wells back http://t.co/W9hb4heL6e
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) December 28, 2014
Mark Turgeon’s team has proven themselves worthy of their ranking by overcoming key injuries that kept seniors Dez Wells and Evan Smotrycz on the bench for a few games each.
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But now as Maryland heads into their first ever Big Ten game, the Terps are fully healthy are are set to take on the Spartans of Michigan State in East Lansing.
Maryland will look to their big three, Dez Wells, Jake Layman and Melo Trimble who all are averaging above 15 points per game. All three players can shoot from behind the arc but Maryland will find greater success if these guys can get to the rim and the free throw line.
The Terps have been excellent at getting to the free throw line this season and rank third in the nation in most free thows made (243). Freshman guard Melo Trimble is a big reason why the Terps have been so successful from the charity stripe. He leads the nation in made free throws (85) and is seventh in attempts (94).
Trimble, along with his teammates, are very confident in themselves as they head into conference play.
"“We’re very confident. We get our confidence from watching film, going to practice every day and practicing hard. Our defense is starting to pick up, and everything starts on defense. That’s where we’ve been getting confidence from.”"
For Michigan State, they have the talent and the leadership to be a very good team this season even after starting off 9-4. Head coach Tom Izzo has guided the Spartans to seven regular-season championships and four Big Ten Tournament titles. Michigan State leads the nation with six Final Four appearances in 16 seasons.
The Spartans are led by Denzel Valentine who averages 14.5 points per game and is shooting 50% from three point land. Branden Dawson is a force in the lane and averages 8.5 rebounds per game. The Terps need to try and put a body on Dawson with every shot and continue to rebound as a team and not rely on just one guy.
This is Maryland’s first Big Ten test and could be the birth of a great rivalry. Don’t forget Terp fans…the last time Maryland faced Michigan State, it was in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The Spartans beat Maryland at the buzzer.
The Terps have not gone back to the NCAA Tournament since then. I’m sure Coach Turgeon will not forget to mention this little piece of history before his team takes the floor on Tuesday.
After the game, come back to The Baltimore Wire for our recap and talk about your thoughts on Maryland’s first game in the Big Ten.