Maryland vs. Northwestern Prediction, Game Preview
Maryland vs. Northwestern prediction and game preview. The Wildcats try to pull off another upset without their leading scorer when they host the Terrapins on Wednesday night.
Maryland vs. Northwestern prediction and game preview. The Wildcats try to pull off another upset without their leading scorer when they host the Terrapins on Wednesday night.
Maryland vs. Northwestern Game Preview
When: Wednesday, Feb. 15 – 7 p.m. ET
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Ill.
TV Broadcast: Big Ten Network
Scottie Lindsey’s bout with mononucleosis threatened Northwestern’s pursuit of its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid, as the Wildcats suffered a blowout loss to Purdue and a shocking home defeat to rival Illinois. But Bryant McIntosh stepped up Sunday, finishing with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a 66-59 victory at No. 7 Wisconsin that should make Northwestern a lock for the Big Dance.
The Wildcats can remove any remaining bits of doubt with a win over Maryland, but they’ll have to do without Lindsey again. The Chicago Tribune reported that Lindsey won’t play against the Terps, but he could be cleared to play at some point this week.
Maryland presents a different challenge for the Wildcats than the Badgers, as the Terps will be trying to push the pace with Melo Trimble and Anthony Cowan. They both had four assists in Saturday’s 86-77 win over Ohio State that snapped the Terps’ two-game skid. They now sit one game behind Wisconsin for the Big Ten lead thanks in part to Northwestern’s win over Wisconsin.
Maryland Wins If …
… freshman Kevin Huerter gets hot. Justin Jackson has cooled off, Trimble is 3-for-22 from 3-point range over his last five games and Cowan’s three 3-pointers Saturday were three more than he had in his previous five contests combined. That leaves Huerter, who isn’t shy from firing away from deep. He’s gone 3-for-8 from behind the arc in each of the last three games. Huerter has attempted at least six 3s 11 times this season and is going to make Vic Law chase him around all night. If he’s on, the Wildcats could be in trouble.
Northwestern Wins If …
… Dererk Pardon owns the paint. Pardon at 6-foot-8 faces a three-inch height deficit against Damonte Dodd, but Pardon leads in double-digit rebound games 4-1 and has a 22-board performance to his credit. Most of this game will be played on the perimeter, but the difference might be on the boards and in the lane, where Pardon needs to assert himself and give Northwestern an advantage.
Matchup To Watch
Trimble vs. McIntosh
McIntosh leads the Big Ten in assists per game with 5.6, but with Lindsey out will be counted upon to carry more of the scoring load as he did against Wisconsin. Trimble always has been a score-first point guard and that won’t change by Wednesday. Both players will be have to be on top of their defense in this one.
Betting Odds
Spread: No line as of post
Over/Under: No line as of post
Maryland vs. Northwestern Prediction
Northwestern will get the home crowd behind it early with solid play from McIntosh, Pardon and Law to take the lead before the Terps storm back. But the Wildcats make clutch plays down the stretch and narrowly escape with a win.
Maryland vs. Northwestern final score prediction: Northwestern 74, Maryland 71
