Maryland looking to continue hot streak, set to host Indiana

Indiana vs. Maryland

When: Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022 || 2:30 p.m. ET

Where: XFINITY Center || College Park, Md.

Watch: FOX - Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst)

Listen: 105.7 FM (Balt) / 980AM (DC) / XM388 - Johnny Holliday, Chris Knoche

Maryland is coming off consecutive Big Ten wins and will look to make it a third on Saturday when Indiana comes to College Park. Maryland head coach Danny Manning knows needs to sustain the momentum they’ve built thus far to come out on top against the Hoosiers.

“Our guys have done a really good job of understanding what we're trying to do when we make our adjustments throughout the course of the ballgame and give different looks going out there and making it work with multiple efforts,” Manning said Friday. “We talked about energy-generating behaviors, that's what we're going to hang our hat on. And our guys have done a tremendous job of creating those energy-generating behaviors for our team, but the momentum is created in practice. It's rewarded in the game when you do what you need to do for your team to be successful.”

After an 18-point loss to Michigan, Indiana bounced back with a 17-point victory on Wednesday over Indiana. In head coach Mike Woodson’s first year as head coach, the Hoosiers are led by All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis who’s averaging 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and shooting over 60% from the floor heading into Saturday. “One thing I can say for sure he’s quick, he’s very explosive,” Maryland center Qudus Wahab said.

Manning, however, sees another key piece as the focal point of Indiana’s identity. “This team, they're hard-nosed, they're tough, they get the ball inside to the two big guys who are very dominant and having a great year,” he said of the Hoosiers. “To me, Xavier Johnson is the key to this team from the standpoint the ball is in his hands. He is a one-man fastbreak when he gets a chance to get downhill. They've got really good shooters, you talk about Parker and cop on the wing so this is a very balanced basketball team that plays with a great deal of physicality because of their athleticism.”

Maryland guard Fatts Russell will help the Terps counter Indiana’s athleticism as the veteran guard is coming off another strong showing. The senior point guard tied his season-high with 23 points of 7-of-8 shooting against Rutgers, including 5-of-8 from deep, as he and Eric Ayala shouldered the Terps’ scoring. While he knows the Hoosiers pose yet another challenge, the Terps are riding the momentum.

“I feel like we're turning up right now. So, now, it should be a really good game. I think it's gonna be a whiteout, so it makes them a little bit more juiced coming into the game,” Russell added.

“When I committed here, I wanted to play games like this.”