Maryland men’s basketball vs. Michigan preview

Maryland men’s basketball’s conference slate got off to an awful start on the road at Iowa. The Terps lost by 19, but the game didn’t feel nearly that close, and head coach Buzz Williams’ offense hardly looked like a Big Ten unit.

It’s unlikely Maryland’s Big Ten fate will look any better in game two. No. 2 Michigan comes to town Saturday on a heater, and the Terps look to be simply avoiding demoralization against one of the country’s best teams before two more nonconference games.

Saturday is Maryland’s “Red Out” game. The contest is set to tip off at 8 p.m. and will air on Fox.

No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (9-0, 1-0 Big Ten)

2024-25 record: 27-10, 14-6 Big Ten

The Wolverines were a force in 2024-25, the first year of head coach Dusty May. They won the Big Ten Tournament — knocking the Terps out in the semifinals along the way — before marching to the Sweet 16.

The two star big men from that team — Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin — are now in the NBA. The top guard, Tre Donaldson, now plays for Miami. But the transfers May brought in, paired with an impressive crop of developed depth, hasn’t lost a beat. 

Michigan comes to College Park looking virtually unstoppable. It hasn’t lost a game by fewer than 25 points since Nov. 14, and the Wolverines are defeating opponents by an average of 28 points on the season. Its two ranked opponents — both top 10 — lost by a combined 70 points.

Players to know

Yaxel Lendeborg, graduate forward, 6-foot-9, No. 23 — Lendeborg was a first-team All-AAC and conference Defensive Player of the Year at UAB last season, and Michigan’s only inclusion on the 10-man preseason All-Big Ten team. 

He’s lived up to the hype — Lendeborg is a stalwart on one of the Big Ten’s best defenses and leads the team in points (15) and steals (1.6) per game. He also leads the country in 2-point percentage at an absurd 85.3%.

Elliot Cadeau, junior guard, 6-foot-1, No. 3 — The Wolverines have a multitude of flashy scorers who are deserving of these three spots, but Cadeau is the engine that makes them all work. The North Carolina transfer is a rare true point guard and one of the best in the country at it — he scores just 9.4 points per game but dishes out 5.7 assists per game and is on the court more than any other Michigan guard.

Aday Mara, junior center, 7-foot-3, No. 15 — Lengthy centers at Maya’s height are really hard to stop at the college level. The towering Spaniard is no different. He’s the paint presence inside with Wolf and Goldin gone, leading the Big Ten in blocks per game (2.8) while adding 9.6 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game.

Strength

Everything. It’s truly astounding how well-balanced the Wolverines are. They score the most points per game in the Big Ten (94) and allow the fourth-fewest (66). Michigan tops the conference in shooting percentage (52.2%), rebounds per game (46.6) and assists per game (20.6). It’s top-four in both steals (7.1) and blocks (6.2) per game, and bottom-five in fouls per game (15.6). 

Weakness

Turnovers. The only hole in Michigan’s armor is a tendency to give the ball up. It’s second in the Big Ten in turnovers per game at 13.2 — second only to Maryland. This is largely because of the Wolverines’ offense being heavy in ball movement, and it hasn’t come back to bite them. Their assist-to-turnover ratio is still in the top half of the Big Ten.

Three things to know

1. Minimize the embarrassment. Maryland and Michigan’s only common opponent this season is No. 8 Gonzaga. The Terps lost by 39 points. Michigan won by 40.

The Terps winning Saturday would arguably be the biggest shock in college basketball thus far into the season. The goal isn’t to be victorious, or even necessarily be closely competitive — it’s to not once again look like one of the worst teams in the conference.

2. What’s the rotation this time? Williams shook up his rotation against Iowa, cutting Diggy Coit and Myles Rice’s minutes in favor of Guillermo Del Pino and not deploying Aleks Alston at all. It didn’t work.

Williams said after the game that his lineup is a work in progress, so expect more adjustments against Michigan.

3. Can any guards step up? Maryland didn’t get a made field goal from a guard against Iowa until there were less than two minutes left in the first half. Rice and Del Pino were scoreless, while Isaiah Watts and Darius Adams combined for 10 points. Only Andre Mills had double-digit points, and he led the guard group with a 50% shooting percentage.

Guard play like the Terps had against Iowa will lead to a long, long Big Ten slate. Even if Michigan is slated for a likely win, it can’t come without some resistance in the backcourt.