Preview: Maryland men's basketball set for Gold Rush test vs. Georgetown

Ahmed Ghafir
7 hours ago
3 min read

Georgetown (1-0) vs. Maryland (1-0)

When & Where: November 7, 2025 | 6:00 PM | XFINITY CENTER

TV: FS1 | Jason Horowitz (pxp), LaPhonso Ellis (analyst)

Radio: One Maryland App | WJZ-FM 105.7 FM (Baltimore) | The TEAM 980 AM (DC)

Betting: Maryland -6.5 | O/U: 146.5 (DraftKings)

Maryland men’s basketball is looking to win its second consecutive Gold Rush game when they host Georgetown on Friday night in a long-awaited local matchup in year one of four of the home-and-home series.

Maryland leads the all-time series, 38-27, including an 18-8 record at home and has won four of the last five meetings despite Friday marking the first matchup between the two local rivals since 2016 when a Kevin Huerter block in the final second secured a 76-75 comeback win.

What to know

Ed Cooley prepares for his third season as head coach after leading the Hoyas to an 18-16 (8-12) finish in 2024-25, the Hoyas’ first season finishing above .500 since 2018-19. Georgetown will hope the offseason reload was enough to secure its first winning record in conference play since 2014-15 after inking several high major transfers.

Georgetown, picked to finish sixth in the preseason Big Ten poll, suited up in a pair of preseason scrimmages, the first a nine-point win vs. George Washington before beating Kentucky by 14 days before the regular season opener. The Hoyas officially enter Friday’s contest a perfect 1-0 after taking down Morgan State, 87-70, on Monday night.

Who to know

Malik Mack: the Oxon Hill native who sports a ‘Maryland’ tattoo, the brief former portal target will lead the Hoyas in his second season with the program after starting in 32 games in 2024-25 where he finished in double figures scoring 21 times while averaging nearly 13 points per game and a team-high 4.3 assists. Mack was named a preseason All-Big East third team selection.

KJ Lewis: the crown jewel of the Hoyas’ portal class, Lewis joins the program after appearing in all 37 games for Arizona and posting 22 double digit scoring games while averaging nearly 11 points per game and also registering career highs in assists (106), blocks (31) and steals (49). Lewis led the Hoyas as the lone All-Big East second-team selection.

Vince Iwuchukwu: after entering the transfer portal in the final hours it was open last offseason, Iwuchukwu gave the Hoyas much-needed size in the frontcourt with his 7-foot-4 wingspan filling a void inside left after Thomas Sorber’s departure. He’ll team up with Julius Halaifonua, who returned to the court earlier than expected, to anchor the Hoyas frontcourt while the USC/St. John’s transfer registered four blocks vs. Morgan State on Monday.

DeShawn Harris-Smith: Friday also includes a familiar face for Maryland fans with DeShawn Harris-Smith making the decision to transfer to the Big East program for his junior season after averaging 4.8 points in 34 starts during his first two seasons at Maryland, making Friday night a homecoming for the Paul VI product. “[I] kind of got in my head a little bit, worried about fans and stuff like that,” Harris-Smith told The Diamondback. “But, I mean, I feel like that’s a lesson I need to learn sooner rather than later, so I’m blessed that I got to learn that at Maryland.”

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