Maryland looks to bounce back on the road vs. surging Minnesota

Maryland (9-5, 1-2) vs. Minnesota (11-3, 2-1)When & Where: Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 | 5:30 PM | Williams Arena, Minneapolis, MN TV: BTN | Cory Provus, Shon Morris Radio: 105.7 (Baltimore) | 980AM (DC) | SiriusXM channel 85 Betting odds: Maryland +1 | O/U: 135.5 (DraftKings) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HQEqtNuMeI After a humbling performance against top-ranked Purdue on Tuesday night, Maryland will now look to do what it hasn't done often under head coach Kevin Willard: win outside of the Xfinity Center. While Maryland has won all but two of the 18 games against Minnesota, heading into Sunday, the Terps are 3-11 in true road games and 7-16 in all games away from College Park under Kevin Willard. Maryland's lone conference win under Willard came against Minnesota last season in an 81-46 onslaught, the first of three eventual wins against the Gophers in a rebuilding season under head coach Ben Johnson. But that was then and now, Minnesota has proven to be a tougher opponent after pulling off six consecutive wins including a two-point road win at Michigan on Thursday night. Mike Mitchell Jr. (18) led five players in double-figures against the Wolverines, his second straight 18-point outing, while Dawson Garcia punched in a double-double in his second game back in action. It helps to have Elijah Hawkins finding open offense as the veteran guard leads the nation in assists per game (7.7) with four double-digit assist games this season. Experienced guard Joshua Ola-Joseph and freshman Cam Christie round out the starting five, giving the Gophers balanced scoring as head coach Ben Johnson looks to guide Minnesota to their seventh consecutive win. Minnesota, who is 10-1 at home this season, enters the weekend leading the Big Ten in team field goal percentage (49.5%). The Gophers are coming off ten made threes in the road win against Michigan, the type of success the Terps need to tap into with time running out to salvage the season. After a lackluster showing against the Boilermakers, a chance to start the New Year with a marquee win, Maryland will look to find ways to generate production outside of Jahmir Young as the veteran ranks seventh nationally with 24.2 points per game through December. Maryland has also watched the bench score ten or fewer points in three games, including zero points at UCLA, during the same stretch. Sunday's performance will once again give Maryland a chance to right the ship, but it may be the final test as Maryland prepares to host Michigan next week before traveling to Illinois then Northwestern. While Maryland will look to get back on track in hopes of picking up its sixth win in seven games, head coach Kevin Willard admitted the shooting woes were "definitely valid" as Maryland prepared to face Minnesota. “We’ve really struggled to shoot the basketball this year. We had made really good momentum the prior four games, we had shot over 37% and all those games. Obviously won at UCLA, made some big shots,” he added. “I think guys were getting more comfortable. The other night you gotta get Purdue credit. They really did a great job of chasing Jahmir Young off the line, making other guys shoot the basketball that are struggling to shoot the basketball right now. But you know, this is something that, it’s kind of a learning curve for a lot of guys. So, yeah, I think it’s valid but it’s something that we concentrate on every day. We’re working on every day, we have gotten better. We just had a setback deal night.” Related Links Four-star CB Jett White announces commitment to MarylandMaryland signee talks dominant wrestling season, development plansTaulia Tagovailoa sheds light on grounds for reinstatement waiverVIP: impact of expected local hire, ’25 targets to watch, portal note (+)Maryland makes top ten for four-star RB Iverson Howard