No. 25 Michigan Wolverines basketball (19-11, 10-9 Big Ten) heads to College Park, for a chance to play spoiler, as Maryland (23-7, 13-6) has a chance to clinch at least a tie of the Big Ten regular season title.

U-M got itself back on track Thursday, with a senior night win over Nebraska, after losing the prior two games. Maryland is looking to get back on track itself, after losing two-straight and three out of four.

We caught up with Pat Donohue of Terrapin Sports Report to get an inside look at Maryland.

The Basics

Date: Sunday, March 8

Time: 12:00 PM ET

Venue: Xfinity Center (College Park, Md.)

TV: FOX

Commentators: Tim Brando and Jim Jackson

Spread: Maryland -4

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vs. Holy Cross (W, 95-51)

vs. Rhode Island (W, 73-55)

vs. Oakland (W, 80-50)

vs. Fairfield (W, 74-55)

vs. George Mason (W, 86-63)

at Temple (W, 76-69)

at Harvard (W, 80-73)

at Marquette (W, 84-63)

vs. Notre Dame (W, 72-51)

vs. Illinois (W, 59-58)

at Penn State (L, 76-69)

at Seton Hall (L, 52-48)

vs. Bryant (W, 84-70)

vs. Indiana (W, 75-59)

vs. Ohio State (W, 67-55)

at Iowa (L, 67-49)

at Wisconsin (L, 56-54)

vs. Purdue (W, 57-50)

at Northwestern (W, 77-66)

at Indiana (W, 77-76)

vs. Iowa (W, 82-72)

vs. Rutgers (W, 56-51)

at Illinois (W, 75-66)

vs. Nebraska (W, 72-70)

at Michigan State (W, 67-60)

vs. Northwestern (W, 76-67)

at Ohio State (L, 79-72)

at Minnesota (W, 74-73)

vs. Michigan State (L, 78-66)

at Rutgers (L, 78-67)

#1 - Senior guard Anthony Cowan (6-0, 180) — He averages 16.2 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 38.3 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from three.

#5 - Sophomore guard Eric Ayala (6-5, 195) — He averages 8.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, while shooting 34.8 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from three.

#11 - Junior guard Darryl Morsell (6-5, 200) — He averages 8.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from long range.

#24 - Freshman forward Donta Scott (6-7, 225) — Scott averages 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He shoots 44.4 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from three.

#25 - Sophomore forward Jalen Smith (6-10, 225) — He averages 15.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three. He is a finalist for the Naismith Award, given to the nation's player of the year.

Off The Bench

#2 - Sophomore guard Aaron Wiggins (6-6, 200) — He averages 10.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 28.6 minutes. He shoots 36.6 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from three.

#13 - Freshman guard Hakim Hart (6-6, 200) — He averages 1.6 points per game in 6.2 minutes.

#10 - Serrel Smith Jr. (6-4, 175) — He averages 1.5 points per game in 7.8 minutes.

#3 - Senior guard Zavier Simpson (6-0, 190) — Simpson averages 12.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He leads the country in assists per game, with 7.9. He shoots 47.2 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three.

#55 - Junior guard Eli Brooks (6-1, 185) — Brooks averages 10.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He shoots 41.2 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three.

#21 - Freshman guard Franz Wagner (6-9, 205) — He averages 11.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. Wagner shoots 45.0 percent from the field and 30.7 percent on three-pointers. He is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

#2 - Junior forward Isaiah Livers (6-9, 235) — Livers averages 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest, while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three.

#15 - Senior center Jon Teske (7-1, 265) — Teske averages 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest. He shoots 47.9 percent from the field and 24.6 percent from three.

Off The Bench

#0 - Sophomore guard David DeJulius (6-0, 190) — He averages 6.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in 20.9 minutes. He shoots 40.6 percent from the field and 35.1 percent on three-pointers.

#23 - Sophomore forward Brandon Johns (6-8, 235) — Johns averages 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He shoots 49.2 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three.

#51 - Redshirt junior forward Austin Davis (6-10, 250) — Davis averages 5.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 10.7 minutes. He shoots 68.9 percent from the field.

#11 - Sophomore forward Colin Castleton (6-11, 235) — Castleton averages 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 7.9 minutes, while shooting 54.0 percent from the field.

Two of the best point guards in the conference will square off in this one. Simpson is known for his defensive prowess and passing ability, while Cowan is known for being a big-time scorer, who can shoot well. Two different styles will collide.

Kenpom has predicted Maryland to win, 71-68, and gives the Terrapins a 62 percent chance to win.

Q: What do you expect the atmosphere to be like at the Xfinity Center? Fair to say Maryland fans have been especially hostile toward Michigan in the past meetings?

PD: I wouldn't say Maryland fans have been particularly hostile toward Michigan in the past. Xfinity Center is a pretty hostile environment for any team, especially Big Ten teams. With that said, I fully expect Sunday's atmosphere to be a crazy one. It's the Terps' second-consecutive sellout and Maryland fans know that it's the last home game of the season and a Big Ten regular-season title is on the line. It doesn't hurt that Michigan is ranked as well and will have the fans' attention before the game even tips off. Maryland hasn't played a Big Ten game at home on a Sunday with a noon tip-off all season long, so I'm not exactly sure how that will (if at all) affect the crowd.

Q: What do you think the reason has been for Maryland losing two straight and three out of four?

PD: Poor defense, plain and simple. A lack of rebounding has also been a factor, but the weak defense Maryland has been playing recently is more to blame. Over the last four games, the Terps have gone from fifth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency (KenPom) to 22nd. They've allowed 73 or more points in all of those games, including 79, 78, and 78 in the three losses. Maryland is a team that was winning early in the year because of its defense and it seems to have lost its identity recently. Senior point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. was also in a shooting slump during this rough stretch, but he did break out of it a bit against Rutgers. It will be his senior day on Sunday, so I expect him to come prepared to have a good game.

Q: Do you think "desperate" is a good way to describe how Maryland will play Sunday, considering it's their final chance to clinch a share of the title after squandering a few opportunities?

PD: Well, since this is their last chance to clinch a share of the title, I guess you could say there will be a little desperation there. I think the Terps looked tight from the jump against Rutgers and that certainly didn't help their cause. It also likely contributed to a 6-for-32 shooting performance from beyond the arc. I think getting back in front of the home crowd in College Park will help lift Maryland a little bit and, at this point, part of them probably feels like it can't get much worse than it has been recently so they have nothing to really lose. Time to show up or shut up kind of a deal.

Q: Michigan has struggled recently against the pick and pop ... how does Maryland run the ball screen and do you expect Jalen Smith to have success shooting against Michigan?

PD: With the inside-outside combination of Cowan and Smith, Maryland can be a dangerous ball screen team. Smith is one of the best in the league, if not the country, at coming off ball screens because of his versatility as a shooter and a big body that can finish down low. He's pretty much been on fire from three since Big Ten play started so I would expect that to continue on Sunday. The rest of the team has struggled shooting from deep recently so the performances there could be another story. Cowan can get downhill in a hurry and is good at drawing contact to get to the line, which is another factor that makes the Terps' ball screen offense effective.

Q: What's your feeling on Maryland's postseason outlook, how far you think they can go, etc.?

PD: Three weeks ago this looked like an Elite 8 or Final Four team. Now, I think the Terps will be lucky to make the Sweet 16 if they don't get out of their recent funk. Depth, or lack thereof, has been a big issue for this team all year. And as you know, having a deep rotation can be pivotal in tournament play. Smith and Cowan are tough players to matchup with though, so Maryland certainly won't be an easy out for anyone. If they get back to playing defense like they did most of the year, that's how the Terps can make a deep tournament run.

Q: What are your impressions of DeAndre Haynes as an assistant?

PD: I think Haynes has been a very welcomed addition to Maryland's staff this season. He's a great Xs and Os guy and I believe he has a lot to do with some of the more positive aspects of Maryland's season. I know from talking to the players that they all really like him a lot, on and off the court. So I can't really say anything too bad about him.

Q: Prediction for this game and why?

PD: Hard to have too much faith in the Terps right now with the way they've looked recently and I do think Michigan is starting to hit its stride at the right time. But given the implications of this game and the fact that it's in College Park, I'll take Maryland in a close one — something like Maryland 73, Michigan 70.

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