Preview: Maryland men's basketball looks to secure upset in border rivalry vs. Virginia

Ahmed Ghafir
6 days ago
2 min read

Maryland (6-5, 0-2) vs. #23/22 Virginia (9-1)

When & Where: December 20, 2025 | 6:00 PM | John Paul Jones

TV: ESPN | Kevin Brown (pxp), Debbie Antonelli (analyst)

Radio: One Maryland App | 105.7 FM (Baltimore) | 980 AM (DC)

Betting: Maryland +15.5 | O/U: 153.5 (DraftKings)

After a full week off, Maryland men’s basketball is set for its first marquee matchup of nonconference play with a road trip against #23 Virginia set for Saturday afternoon.

This marks the first matchup between the two teams since Nov. 28, 2018 and while first-year head coach Ryan Odom will look for his first win against the Terps in his second try, Maryland is 39-46 all-time at Virginia. Maryland is also 0-3 against ranked opponents this season while Iowa, who also beat Maryland by 19 in the conference opener, is now ranked 25th in the coaches poll.

This makes Saturday’s test even more important, but Maryland will do so likely short-handed with star center Pharrel Payne expected to be inactive against Virginia. It’s a big absence with over 22% of the team’s scoring now missing with Diggy Coit and Darius Adams the lone players averaging double figures heading into the weekend road game.

Payne’s absence also poses a challenge on the boards with Virginia, a perfect 8-0 when outrebounding their opponents, ranked inside the top 25 nationally in both offensive and total rebounds. Virginia has also posted 20 or more offensive rebounds in three games this season with German center Johann Grünloh leading the team with 7.2 rebounds per game. Transfer guard Malik Thomas, who averaged nearly 20 points per game at San Francisco last season, has also emerged as a key piece of Virginia’s identity this season while Jacari White leads the ACC in three-point shooting (50.9%).

Belgian freshman forward Thijs De Ridder enters Saturday leading Virginia in scoring with 16.1 points per game, one of two starters averaging double figures, while freshman guard Chance Mallory, a former top Maryland target, is one of two entrenched in the rotation averaging over ten points per game.

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