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Penn State-Maryland Basketball Game Preview: Nittany Lions Host No. 16 Terrapins on Senior Day

Penn State basketball will celebrate senior day on Saturday against the No. 16 Maryland Terrapins.

This is the only meeting between these two teams this season. Last year, the home team won both games, with Penn State basketball winning the most recent matchup on March 10. PSU is 13-2 all time when hosting Maryland.

GAME DETAILS

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025
Time: Noon EST
Site: Bryce Jordan Center
City: University Park, Pa.
Network: Big Ten Network

GAME ODDS

Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook

Odds: Maryland (-225), Penn State (+185)
Spread: Maryland (-5.5)
Over-Under: 154.5 points

GAME NOTES

Penn State (15-14, BIG TEN 5-13), KenPom, NET

Penn State Basketball, D'Marco Dunn

D’Marco Dunn scored 10 points in 15 minutes against Indiana on Feb. 26. (Malloreigh Yingling/Penn State Athletics)

Penn State’s two-game winning streak ended against Indiana on Wednesday. Penn State held a 69-67 lead with 5:59 to go, but an 8-0 Hoosier changed the momentum of the game. Indiana made 10 3s and shot a season-best 66.7% from deep.

With the loss, Penn State basketball most likely will miss the Big Ten Tournament. According to ESPN, its last two games are ranked as the hardest remaining in the conference and the eighth most difficult in the nation. KenPom predicts PSU will lose its last two games and finish 17th in the standings. Mike Rhoades was asked about the new format of the conference tournament following the loss to Indiana and he made it clear he is not a fan.

“Yeah, I think that’s horseshit to be honest with you,” Rhoades said.

“… Everybody bangs their chest about the student athlete experience. And then you have it and we’re in the Big Ten, and we’re keeping three teams out of it? And you see how we play today. You know, we had a tough stretch. But I don’t think you take away experiences from student athletes. I think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s not professional … The leaders got to do a better job talking that through …”

No. 16 MARYLAND (21-7, BIG TEN 11-6), KenPom, NET

Maryland Basketball, Rodney Rice

Rodney Rice had a team-high 20 points against No. 8 Michigan State on Feb. 26. (University of Maryland Athletics)

Maryland comes into Saturday’s game having won eight of their last 10 games. Two of the Terrapins’ wins were against Illinois (NET 21) and Wisconsin (11). Their two losses came against Ohio State and No. 8 Michigan State on potentially the buzzer beater of the year.

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Maryland has seven losses this year, with five of them coming on the road (3-5 overall).

Key Leaders:

Derik Queen:

15.6 PTS (53.6 FG%, sixth in Big Ten)
9.1 REB (fourth in Big Ten)
2.1 AST (second on team)
Projected top 10 pick in 2025 NBA Draft

Ja’kobi Gillespie:

14.9 PTS
47/41/85 shooting splits
4.7 AST (sixth in Big Ten)
1.8 STL (tied for fourth in Big Ten)

Julian Reese:

13.6 PTS
9.2 REB (third in Big Ten)
1.5 BLK (tied for third in Big Ten)
13 double-doubles (leads Big Ten, 10th nationally)

Rodney Rice: 14 PTS | 37.5 3P%

Selton Miguel: 11 PTS | 42.6 3P%

KEY STAT

Maryland boasts one of the best starting five in the country, which has been dubbed the “Crab Five”. They are one of four major conference programs with all five starters averaging double digits while starting at least 50 percent of the team’s games.

The Crab Five average more points (69.8) than 73 total NCAA Division I teams. That number is only 3.1 points less than what Penn State has averaged in conference play (72.9). In a win against Nebraska on Feb 13, Maryland’s starters scored all 83 of their team’s points.

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