Preview: Maryland men's basketball looks for second straight Big Ten win, hosts Iowa

Ahmed Ghafir
23 hours ago
2 min read

Iowa (18-5, 8-4) vs. Maryland (9-14, 2-10)

When & Where: February 11, 2026 | 6:00 PM | XFINITY Center

TV: FS1 | Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), LaPhonso Ellis (analyst)

Radio: 105.7 FM, 980 AM, SiriusXM channel 372

Betting: Maryland +10.5 | O/U: 141.5 (DraftKings)

After picking up the first conference road win of the season and snapping a four-game losing streak, Maryland men’s basketball returns to College Park to host Iowa for an early evening tipoff on Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday marks the second matchup against the Hawkeyes this season after Iowa pulled off a 19-point win to begin Big Ten play.

Following their last loss against Purdue back on Jan. 17, Iowa also enters the matchup on a six-game win streak with half coming on the road as senior guard Bennett Stirtz enters the matchup averaging just shy of 20 points per game, one of two Hawkeyes alongside Tavion Banks averaging double figures scoring.

But the Hawkeyes enter Wednesday’s contest mindful of a potential trap game label with head coach Ben McCollum looking to keep his team focused ahead of his first game inside the Xfinity Center.

“I think we’ve proven to ourselves and to others that we can. And now, it’s just a matter of knowing what the recipe is to be able to win on the road and doing that and making sure that you’re fully prepared, fully ready to go take something,” he said this week. “Because you can’t just go on the road and just, hey, we're just going to play better and try to win. It’s like, no, you have to try to take it.”

Maryland, meanwhile, will look for its supporting cast to break through after Diggy Coit has shouldered the scoring load with three games with 25 points or more in 2026, including scoring 20 of his game-high 29 points to lead Maryland to a road win against Minnesota on Sunday. Freshman guard Darius Adams has finished in double figures in six of his last ten games including three performances where he’s shot over 50% from the field, while Andre Mills has scored at least 11 points in four of his last five games.

Iowa is one of three Big Ten teams shooting at least 51% from the floor and 37% from three, though all eyes will be on whether Maryland can figure out a way to take better care of the ball in the return matchup. Iowa turned 18 turnovers into 21 points during the first matchup after head coach Buzz Williams harped on ball security during Tuesday’s media availability.

Related Links