Michigan vs. Maryland Preview, Lineup Breakdown, Prediction & More

Michigan basketball is the No. 4 team in America, outright Big Ten champions and No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, and is set to face No. 8 seed Maryland in the quarterfinals Friday.

The Maize and Blue have lost two of their last three games of the season, including setbacks last week versus Illinois and at Michigan State, while Maryland, after losing its last two regular-season games, knocked off the Spartans Thursday afternoon in Indianapolis.

Michigan beat Maryland, 84-73, on Dec. 31 in College Park and defeated the Terrapins in the rematch in Ann Arbor Jan. 19, 87-63.

The Terrapins are projected as an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament, with Thursday's win over MSU helping inch them closer to being in the field as an at-large bid. A win over Michigan would put any remaining doubt about their chances to rest.

The Matchup

Michigan has beaten Maryland decisively twice already this season, as mentioned above, but it did so in completely different ways — even though the offense hummed to over 1.2 points per possession both times. In the first meeting at Maryland, the Terrapins refused to double-team Michigan freshman center Hunter Dickinson, who went off for 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field (and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe).

Then, in the return meeting, Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon mixed it up and sent hard and aggressive double-teams at Dickinson, who only scored three points but was fantastic in getting the ball back out to the perimeter. That's where Michigan did its damage, nailing 12 three-pointers on 24 attempts.

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The Terrapins will likely have to help on Dickinson quite a bit, considering they're the second-worst post-up defensive team in the Big Ten, allowing 0.957 points per possession on such plays per Synergy. That's what makes it an interesting 'pick your poison' conundrum.

In more ways than one, this is a different Maryland team than the one Michigan faced twice in the first half of the Big Ten slate. The Terps ranked 86th in the country in Kenpom's defensive efficiency when they came to Ann Arbor Jan. 19, but now check in at 24th nationally. Defense has become the team's calling card — led by senior guard and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Darryl Morsell — and they've ranked seventh in the land in efficiency ever since the calendar turned to February.

Offensively, Maryland stretches defenses — and forces big men to defend on the perimeter — with five shooters on the floor, something that has given Dickinson and fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis trouble at times this season. Maryland sophomore forward Donta Scott shoots the three at 44.1 percent for the season, while junior forward Jairus Hamilton nails 42.3 percent of his looks from beyond the arc. Both should have some space to work with on the outside, where the Terps thrive.

Maryland sees 37.4 percent of its points come from behind the three-point line (first in the Big Ten), with the squad shooting 35.5 percent on the season collectively.

Another interesting storyline surrounds some of the height differences in this matchup. Scott stands six inches shorter (and Hamilton five inches shorter) than Dickinson, who is 7-foot-1. The Wolverines should look to take advantage of that size differential.

Conversely, Maryland has the size advantage on the perimeter, with Michigan fifth-year senior guard Mike Smith standing 5-foot-11 and senior guard Eli Brooks, who is questionable for the game with an ankle injury, at 6-1. All the while, the Terrapins trot out four guards who all stand 6-foot-5 or taller.

Below is everything you need to know ahead of the game, including a breakdown on each team's lineup, key stats, our final score prediction and more.

Date: Friday, March 12, 2021

Time: 11:30 a.m. ET

Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, Ind.)

Channel: Big Ten Network

On The Call: Brandon Gaudin (p-by-p), Shon Morris (analyst) & Rick Pizzo (sideline)

Radio: Detroit: WWJ-Radio (950 AM) | Ann Arbor: WWWW (102.9 FM)

On The Call: Brian Boesch (play-by-play) & Terry Mills (analyst)

Line: Michigan -8

Over/Under: 133

KenPom Prediction: Michigan 70, Maryland 63

Clayton Sayfie Prediction: 71, Maryland 64

#12 - Fifth-year senior guard Mike Smith (5-11, 185) — The Columbia grad transfer is averaging 8.6 points and five assists per game, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from long range ... His three-point shooting clip of 51.1 percent in league play tops the Big Ten.

#55 - Senior guard Eli Brooks (6-1, 185) — Suffered an ankle injury five minutes into the regular-season finale at Michigan State and did not return, and his status is uncertain for today's contest ... Averages 8.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and three assists per outing, while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from deep.

#21 - Sophomore guard Franz Wagner (6-9, 220) — Averaging 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from three ... Has knocked down 47 percent of his three-point attempts over the last 10 games.

#2 - Senior forward Isaiah Livers (6-7, 230) — Is second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game, while also adding 6.1 rebounds and two assists ... Shoots 46.8 percent overall and 44.6 percent from long range (56th nationally), while also hitting 87 percent of his free throws.

#1 - Freshman center Hunter Dickinson (7-1, 255) — Leads the team in scoring (14.3 points per game) and rebounding (7.7), while shooting 59.6 percent from the field ... Scored 26 points in the win at Maryland Dec. 31 but put up just three points while facing constant double-teams in the rematch Jan. 19 in Ann Arbor.

Key Bench Players

#15 - Senior guard Chaundee Brown (6-5, 215) — Will likely start at the two if Brooks is not able to play ... Averaging 7.8 points and three rebounds per game ... Is connecting on 46.7 percent of his overall looks and 38.7 percent of his attempts from deep.

#23 - Junior forward Brandon Johns Jr. (6-8, 240) — Plays the four and five spot off the bench ... Averages 3.8 points and two rebounds per contest and is shooting 54.2 percent from the field.

#51 - Fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis (6-10, 250) — Averages 5.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 69.5 percent from the field.

#3 - Freshman guard Zeb Jackson (6-5, 180) — Played eight minutes against MSU Sunday after Brooks went down with his injury ... Has seen just 75 minutes of action all season long, primarily during garbage time ... Is 3-of-20 shooting from the field and 0-of-9 from long range ... Has six assists on the year.

#5 - Junior guard Eric Ayala (6-5, 200) — Puts up a team-high14.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from long range.

#11 - Senior guard Darryl Morsell (6-5, 200) — The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year averages 8.7 points, 2.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per contest ... Is connecting on 47.5 percent of his looks from the field and 26.5 percent of his attempts from deep.

#13 - Sophomore guard Hakim Hart (6-6, 205) — Posts 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.9 percent overall and 34.1 percent from three.

#2 - Junior guard Aaron Wiggins (6-6, 200) — Is second on the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game, and has averaged 18.1 points per game over his last nine ... Also adds 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per night ... Shoots 43.8 percent overall and 34.1 percent from three.

#24 - Sophomore forward Donta Scott (6-7, 230) — Puts up 11 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from long range ... His 42 percent clip from three in league play ranks eighth in the Big Ten.

Key Bench Players

#30 - Senior forward Galin Smith (6-9, 235) — Averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.7 percent from the field (all two-pointers).

#25 - Junior forward Jairus Hamilton (6-8, 235) — Notches 6.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.9 percent overall and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc (127th nationally).

#12 - Senior guard Reese Mona (6-2, 185) — Has played 12 minutes per game over his last two ... Has scored just 10 points on the season and is 3-of-7 from the field for the year.

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