MBB Preview \\ at No. 25 Maryland

OPPONENT	Iowa (14-10, 5-8) at No. 25 Maryland (19-6, 9-5)
LOCATION	College Park, Md.
DATE	Sunday, Feb. 16
TIP-OFF	4 p.m. (CT)
RADIO	Hawkeye Radio Network
TV	FS1

 

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team closes out its East Coast road trip with a game against No. 25 Maryland on Sunday at the XFINITY Center in College Park beginning at 4 p.m. (CT).  The game will be televised on FS1.

FOLLOW LIVE
Radio: Sunday’s game will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Gary Dolphin (play-by-play) and Bobby Hansen (color) on the call.  The network includes more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and include portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.  The Hawkeye Radio Network includes a 60-minute pregame show.
TV: Sunday’s game will be televised on FS1 with Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

• Fresh off its first true road win of the season at Rutgers, the Hawkeyes head to College Park looking for their first win over a ranked opponent when they face No. 25 Maryland.  It is Iowa’s third game against a ranked foe in its last four contests.
• Sunday’s game is the 3,000th game in Iowa men’s basketball history.  
• Leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker sophomore Owen Freeman underwent season-ending finger surgery on Feb. 3 and graduate guard Drew Thelwell missed Wednesday’s game because of an ankle injury.  
• In the three games without Freeman, junior Josh Dix is averaging 22 points and 4.3 rebounds, while shooting 57.8 percent from the field and 40 percent from long range.  
• Senior Payton Sandfort and Dix combined for 50 points against No. 7 Purdue on Feb. 4 and 46 points in the Feb. 12 road win at Rutgers.  
• Sandfort was named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Midseason top 10 on Feb. 5. He is one of two players from the Big Ten Conference on the list along with Rutgers’ Ace Bailey.  
• Sandfort has 250 career 3-point field goals, 12 behind Jeff Horner for second place on Iowa’s all-time list.  
• Iowa out-rebounded Rutgers, 34-30, on Wednesday.  It was the first time since Jan. 11 the Hawkeyes out-rebounded their opposition.
• Iowa is second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally, averaging 84.5 points per game.  The Hawkeyes have the top field goal (.496) and top effective field goal percentage (.575) in the Big Ten, ranking sixth and eighth nationally in both categories. 
• Sandfort has scored 20+ six times in the last 10 games, giving him a team-best 10 20+ point games this season.  
 • Iowa has shot better than 50 percent from the floor 12 times and better than 60 percent three times, including a season-best 62.7 percent in the win over New Orleans on Dec. 15.  The team is 10-2 when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
• The Hawkeyes have made at least eight 3-point field goals in 19 games, including 10+ in 12 contests -- the most in a season since 2022-23 (13 games). Iowa is second in the Big Ten (26th nationally), averaging 10.0 per game.  
• Iowa is leading the Big Ten in assists (18.8, 3rd in NCAA) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.85, 2nd in NCAA). The team has had 20+ assists in nine games.

SCOUTING MARYLAND
• The Terrapins have won two straight, six of their last seven and eight of their last 10 games to improve to 19-6 overall and 9-5 in Big Ten play.  Maryland won at Nebraska, 83-75, on Thursday night behind a 24-point, 11-rebound performance from Derik Queen.
• Maryland is 14-1 at the XFINITY Center this season, which includes a current 11-game winning streak.  The Terps’ lone setback was a 78-74 loss to Marquette on Nov. 15.
• All five Terrapin starters average in double figures on the season with Queen leading the way with 15.9 points on 54.5 percent shooting.  He also averaged 8.6 rebounds and has 28 steals and 25 blocks.   Queen, who has eight double-doubles on the year, also shoots 75.5 percent from the foul stripe, making 105-of-139 attempts.
• Ja’Kobi Gillespie averages 14.3 points with a team-high 118 assists and 59 3-point field goals.  Julian Reese averages 13.7 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds and 39 blocks -- third-most in the conference. He has a team-high 11 double-doubles to lead the Big Ten and rank 11th nationally.  Rodney Rice (13.2) and Selton Miguel (11.8) also average in double digits.
• Queen and Reese are third and fourth in the Big Ten in rebounding, while Reese averages 3.16 offensive rebounds per contest (second in B1G).  
• Maryland has the No. 3 scoring offense in the Big Ten (20th best nationally), averaging 82.8 points per game.  The Terps surrender 66.8 points -- second-fewest in the league.
• The team has three players with 50 or more 3-pointers.  Maryland shoots 37 percent from long range and averages 8.2 makes per game.

SERIES HISTORY

• Sunday’s game is the 18th game in the all-time series dating back to 1984 -- a 70-68 Maryland win in Honolulu, Hawaii.  
• The Terrapins lead the all-time series, 9-8.
• Maryland swept the season series in 2023-24, winning, 69-67, in Iowa City on Jan. 24 and 78-66 on Feb. 14 in College Park.  
• Prior to getting swept last season, Iowa had won four straight in the series over the Terrapins.
• Iowa has won two of the last three meetings over Maryland at the XFINITY Center, but the Terps are 4-3 against Iowa all-time in College Park. 

LAST GAME: IOWA 84, RUTGERS 73

The Hawkeyes rallied from a nine point halftime deficit to win their first true road game of the season, downing Rutgers, 84-73, on Wednesday in Piscataway.  Iowa outscored the Scarlet Knights, 51-31, in the second half.
• The win was Iowa’s first road victory in six tries and was the team’s first Quad 1 win.  
• Josh Dix (26) and Payton Sandfort (20) combined for 46 points in the victory, making 18 total field goals.  
• Iowa won the rebounding battle, 34-30, and shot 50.7 percent (58.8 percent in the second half).

IOWA IS...

• 6-0 when scoring 90+ points this season.
• 6-0 when winning the rebounding battle.
•11-0 when shooting more free throws than its opponents.
• 10-2 when leading at the half.

JD STEPS UP

In Freeman’s absence, junior Josh Dix’s offensive production has sharply increased.  The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native is averaging 22 points, 4.3 rebounds and two steals over the three games with two 20-point contests.
• He scored 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting against No. 7 Purdue in the first game post-Freeman and he finished with 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting in the road win at Rutgers.  The 11 field goals were a career high.

First 21 Games
13.3 ppg., 3.1 rpg., 0.9 spg., 52.4 FG%, 45.2 3PT% 

Last 3 Games
22.0 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 2.0 spg., 57.8 FG%, 40.0 3PT%

PAYTON JOINS 1,000/500 CLUB; APPROACHES ELITE GROUP

Senior Payton Sandfort is the 29th player in program history with 1,000+ career points and 500+ rebounds. He is the first Hawkeye since Joe Wieskamp in 2021 to join the club.
• Sandfort is 47 points shy of becoming the second player in program history, joining Jeff Horner, to have 1,500+ points, 500+ rebounds and 250+ 3-pointers.  

CENTER BY COMMITTEE

When Iowa lost sophomore Owen Freeman to season-ending surgery, it lost its top scorer (16.7 points), rebounder (6.7) and shot blocker (35).  The Hawkeyes have gone to a center-by-committee of Riley Mulvey, Ladji Dembele and Even Brauns.
• The trio is averaging eight points and 6.7 rebounds on 64.7 percent (11-of-17) shooting in the three games Freeman has been sidelined.
• Dembele has scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his last two games, making 7-of-11 field goals.  He scored nine points in the road win at Rutgers.