Tom's preview:
https://iowa.n.rivals.com/news/hawkeye-tip-time-11
Iowa Hawkeyes (16-3, 7-0) vs. Maryland Terrapins (17-3, 6-2)
Tip Time: 6:05 p.m.
TV: ESPN – Adam Amin and Dan Dakich on the call.
Location: XFINITY Center, College Park, MD
History: The overall series between Iowa and Maryland is tied at 2-2. Iowa won last year’s meeting, the first between the two schools as conference foes, 71-55. Iowa also defeated Maryland in the semifinals of the NIT in 2013, 71-60. Fran McCaffery is 2-2 against Maryland. Mark Turgeon is 0-2 against Iowa. The Terrapins have not lost to a Big Ten team at home since joining the conference. THE LINE: Maryland is a 4 point favorite.
THE LINEUPS
IOWA
Adam Woodbury – 8.9 ppg
Jarrod Uthoff – 18.9 ppg
Peter Jok – 14.7 ppg
Anthony Clemmons – 8.6 ppg
Mike Gesell – 8.8 ppg
MARYLAND
Damonte Dodd - 3.7 ppg
Robert Carter – 13.2 ppg
Jake Layman -10.7 ppg
Rasheed Sulaimon – 10.3 ppg
Melo Trimble – 14.5 ppg
PLAYER TO WATCH
Diamond Stone – It’s rare when a player who isn’t in the starting lineup commands this much attention, but Diamond Stone isn’t your average player. Stone was one of the most highly recruited players in the country last year and the Terps were able to land him. Early on, as with most freshmen, there was a learning curve for the 6-foot-11 big man from Wisconsin. But, he has really hit his stride in recent weeks and is darn near impossible to guard if he gets the ball in the paint. His combination of size and his wide frame at 255 pounds, makes him hard to guard and difficult to move out of the lane. Stone put up 39 against Penn State in the most dominant performance by a Big Ten player in league play this season. He also had 22 points in the loss to Michigan. Stone is a load in the post and plays about 21 minutes a game. Adam Woodbury is going to have his hands full and more importantly, if they bring him off the bench, it could lead to Dom Uhl guarding him and that’s going to be a challenge for Iowa on the defensive end of the floor.
KEY MATCH-UP
Anthony Clemmons/Mike Gesell vs. Melo Trimble – Iowa’s guards are going to have to stay mellow, or more appropriately, stay on Melo on Thursday night if the Hawkeyes hope to pull off the victory in College Park. The Terps guard is the straw that stirs the drink for the Maryland offensive attack. He’s probably the most complete guard in the Big Ten and a certain NBA Draft pick after the season. Trimble is outstanding off the pick and roll action where Iowa will be forced to decide how they are going to defend him. Maryland runs it a lot and it’s going to be a challenge for Clemmons, who I suspect will draw most of the assignment, or Gesell, who will be on him when Clemmons isn’t on the floor. One thing I think Iowa will try to do is make him work extra hard on the defensive end of the floor. If Trimble plays well, then Maryland is darn near impossible to beat. Their team feeds off his energy and he has a great feel for the game and the moment. Iowa will need to keep him in check on Thursday night.
STATS AND NOTES
Iowa is ranked 3rd in the Associated Press poll this week. That is the highest ranking for the Hawkeyes since the 1986-87 season. The Hawkeyes have now won 13 straight regular season Big Ten games dating back to last season. That is the longest stretch of consecutive wins since the 1969-70 season. The 7-0 start in conference play is also the best start to conference play for the Hawkeyes since the 1969-70 season. Iowa has also won six of those seven games by double figures. Jarrod Uthoff is a midseason Wooden Award candidate. Uthoff is leading the Big Ten in scoring and blocked shots. He recently became the 44th player in Iowa Basketball history to score of 1,000 points. Uthoff now has 148 career blocked shots, which is tied with Melsahn Basabe for 4th in Iowa history. Mike Gesell has 483 assists, which is 5th all-time at Iowa. In the win over Purdue, Gesell passed Ronnie Lester on the all-time assist list. Iowa is 3-2 in games played on Thursday’s this season. Iowa is 1-0 in games played on ESPN this season.
THE PICK
This one doesn’t need a whole lot more hype. Iowa is ranked #3 in the country and Maryland is 7th or 8th depending on the poll you are looking at. The Terps are riding a 24 game home winning streak and have yet to lose to a Big Ten team on their home floor.
This game provides the Hawkeyes with the opportunity to put a little more daylight between themselves and another one of the contenders for the Big Ten title.
Maryland provides perhaps the biggest test of the season simply from a depth and talent standpoint. How many teams in the country are bringing a player like Diamond Stone off the bench? Not many. But, it all starts with Melo Trimble, the outstanding point guard, who really runs the show for the Terps attack. In recent games, Trimble’s shot hasn’t been connecting with great frequency, but he has a real knack for making big shots, like he did in the final seconds at Wisconsin. One aspect of Trimble’s game that hasn’t been as prominent this season has been getting to the foul line. He did that much more last year.
Robert Carter is a transfer who has made an immediate impact. He’s a strong player in the paint, but he’s also more than capable of stepping out to the three point line and making shots. Physically, Jake Layman looks a lot like Jarrod Uthoff in terms of his size and length and it will be interesting if they try to assign him to Iowa’s leading scorer. Layman has been a streaky shooter and if he gets going, he could make a major difference in this game.
How does Iowa get the win in this huge contest? One thing they probably won’t be able to do is use their pressure to rattle Maryland like they did to Purdue twice this season. Trimble is just too good to be rattled by it and make mistakes. Iowa has to continue to shoot the ball at or above their 47% rate from the field. The Hawkeyes will have to continue to shoot the ball well from beyond the three point line and perhaps just as important, they going to have to get at least 15 points off the bench. The Iowa bench trio of Brady Ellingson, Dom Uhl, and Nicholas Baer have to continue to be productive or Iowa will have a tough time winning on the road.
This one will be tight and it’s likely that even if the Hawkeye pull the upset that they will do so with less than a double figure win. Maryland’s student section might be new to Big Ten opponents, but they have one of the better grounds in the country and they will make things tough for the Hawkeyes. I think Iowa will put up one heck of an effort, but in the end they fall just shot and suffer their first loss in conference play.MARYLAND 68 IOWA 66
https://iowa.n.rivals.com/news/hawkeye-tip-time-11
Iowa Hawkeyes (16-3, 7-0) vs. Maryland Terrapins (17-3, 6-2)
Tip Time: 6:05 p.m.
TV: ESPN – Adam Amin and Dan Dakich on the call.
Location: XFINITY Center, College Park, MD
History: The overall series between Iowa and Maryland is tied at 2-2. Iowa won last year’s meeting, the first between the two schools as conference foes, 71-55. Iowa also defeated Maryland in the semifinals of the NIT in 2013, 71-60. Fran McCaffery is 2-2 against Maryland. Mark Turgeon is 0-2 against Iowa. The Terrapins have not lost to a Big Ten team at home since joining the conference. THE LINE: Maryland is a 4 point favorite.
THE LINEUPS
IOWA
Adam Woodbury – 8.9 ppg
Jarrod Uthoff – 18.9 ppg
Peter Jok – 14.7 ppg
Anthony Clemmons – 8.6 ppg
Mike Gesell – 8.8 ppg
MARYLAND
Damonte Dodd - 3.7 ppg
Robert Carter – 13.2 ppg
Jake Layman -10.7 ppg
Rasheed Sulaimon – 10.3 ppg
Melo Trimble – 14.5 ppg
PLAYER TO WATCH
Diamond Stone – It’s rare when a player who isn’t in the starting lineup commands this much attention, but Diamond Stone isn’t your average player. Stone was one of the most highly recruited players in the country last year and the Terps were able to land him. Early on, as with most freshmen, there was a learning curve for the 6-foot-11 big man from Wisconsin. But, he has really hit his stride in recent weeks and is darn near impossible to guard if he gets the ball in the paint. His combination of size and his wide frame at 255 pounds, makes him hard to guard and difficult to move out of the lane. Stone put up 39 against Penn State in the most dominant performance by a Big Ten player in league play this season. He also had 22 points in the loss to Michigan. Stone is a load in the post and plays about 21 minutes a game. Adam Woodbury is going to have his hands full and more importantly, if they bring him off the bench, it could lead to Dom Uhl guarding him and that’s going to be a challenge for Iowa on the defensive end of the floor.
KEY MATCH-UP
Anthony Clemmons/Mike Gesell vs. Melo Trimble – Iowa’s guards are going to have to stay mellow, or more appropriately, stay on Melo on Thursday night if the Hawkeyes hope to pull off the victory in College Park. The Terps guard is the straw that stirs the drink for the Maryland offensive attack. He’s probably the most complete guard in the Big Ten and a certain NBA Draft pick after the season. Trimble is outstanding off the pick and roll action where Iowa will be forced to decide how they are going to defend him. Maryland runs it a lot and it’s going to be a challenge for Clemmons, who I suspect will draw most of the assignment, or Gesell, who will be on him when Clemmons isn’t on the floor. One thing I think Iowa will try to do is make him work extra hard on the defensive end of the floor. If Trimble plays well, then Maryland is darn near impossible to beat. Their team feeds off his energy and he has a great feel for the game and the moment. Iowa will need to keep him in check on Thursday night.
STATS AND NOTES
Iowa is ranked 3rd in the Associated Press poll this week. That is the highest ranking for the Hawkeyes since the 1986-87 season. The Hawkeyes have now won 13 straight regular season Big Ten games dating back to last season. That is the longest stretch of consecutive wins since the 1969-70 season. The 7-0 start in conference play is also the best start to conference play for the Hawkeyes since the 1969-70 season. Iowa has also won six of those seven games by double figures. Jarrod Uthoff is a midseason Wooden Award candidate. Uthoff is leading the Big Ten in scoring and blocked shots. He recently became the 44th player in Iowa Basketball history to score of 1,000 points. Uthoff now has 148 career blocked shots, which is tied with Melsahn Basabe for 4th in Iowa history. Mike Gesell has 483 assists, which is 5th all-time at Iowa. In the win over Purdue, Gesell passed Ronnie Lester on the all-time assist list. Iowa is 3-2 in games played on Thursday’s this season. Iowa is 1-0 in games played on ESPN this season.
THE PICK
This one doesn’t need a whole lot more hype. Iowa is ranked #3 in the country and Maryland is 7th or 8th depending on the poll you are looking at. The Terps are riding a 24 game home winning streak and have yet to lose to a Big Ten team on their home floor.
This game provides the Hawkeyes with the opportunity to put a little more daylight between themselves and another one of the contenders for the Big Ten title.
Maryland provides perhaps the biggest test of the season simply from a depth and talent standpoint. How many teams in the country are bringing a player like Diamond Stone off the bench? Not many. But, it all starts with Melo Trimble, the outstanding point guard, who really runs the show for the Terps attack. In recent games, Trimble’s shot hasn’t been connecting with great frequency, but he has a real knack for making big shots, like he did in the final seconds at Wisconsin. One aspect of Trimble’s game that hasn’t been as prominent this season has been getting to the foul line. He did that much more last year.
Robert Carter is a transfer who has made an immediate impact. He’s a strong player in the paint, but he’s also more than capable of stepping out to the three point line and making shots. Physically, Jake Layman looks a lot like Jarrod Uthoff in terms of his size and length and it will be interesting if they try to assign him to Iowa’s leading scorer. Layman has been a streaky shooter and if he gets going, he could make a major difference in this game.
How does Iowa get the win in this huge contest? One thing they probably won’t be able to do is use their pressure to rattle Maryland like they did to Purdue twice this season. Trimble is just too good to be rattled by it and make mistakes. Iowa has to continue to shoot the ball at or above their 47% rate from the field. The Hawkeyes will have to continue to shoot the ball well from beyond the three point line and perhaps just as important, they going to have to get at least 15 points off the bench. The Iowa bench trio of Brady Ellingson, Dom Uhl, and Nicholas Baer have to continue to be productive or Iowa will have a tough time winning on the road.
This one will be tight and it’s likely that even if the Hawkeye pull the upset that they will do so with less than a double figure win. Maryland’s student section might be new to Big Ten opponents, but they have one of the better grounds in the country and they will make things tough for the Hawkeyes. I think Iowa will put up one heck of an effort, but in the end they fall just shot and suffer their first loss in conference play.MARYLAND 68 IOWA 66
