These two teams squared off in the Big Ten opener for each school down in East Lansing, Michigan. It was a great way to open up conference play, but only one team could come away with the win.

The Maryland Terrapins knocked off the Spartans, 68 – 66, in double-overtime to score their first-ever win in Big Ten play.

Since that game, both teams have played some strong basketball, which will only make the rematch Saturday afternoon in the Comcast Center that much more exciting.

Since the December 30th loss to the Terrapins, the Spartans have reeled off three straight wins in conference play. They have knocked off the Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Northwestern Wildcats to sit at 3 – 1 in conference play, and have quieted their doubters for the time being. A win over the Terrapins would keep them quiet for longer, and should vault the Spartans back into the top 25 rankings.

In their loss to the Terrapins, the Spartans played relatively well. They had two chances to win the game, at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime, but none of their shots would fall. They forced the Terrapins into 21 turnovers, which should have given them an advantage in the contest.

However, the Spartans only shot 22.7% (5-of-22) from long distance and 67.9% (19-of-28) from the costless throw line.

On the season, the Spartans are shooting over 40% from long distance, which could be a good thing or bad, depending on how it goes. They tend to live by the three pointer this season, which could boost their chances on Saturday. However, if the shots aren’t falling, they could find themselves in trouble early on and need to play catch-up.

If the Spartans want to go on the road and knock off the Maryland Terrapins, they will need to keep up their strong defensive play and take smart shots. Maryland won’t make things easy on the green and white, as they have been playing some strong basketball of their own over the past few weeks.

In the December 30th game against the Spartans, Maryland held a big edge in rebounding (50 – 36) which was a big factor in the Terrapins’ win.

Since they played the Spartans, the Terrapins have gone 3 – 1 in their last four conference games. They suffered their second loss of the season on January 7th, at Illinois, 64 – 57. Since that loss, the Terrapins have scored two close wins over the Purdue Boilermakers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Maryland had to fight against Rutgers, needing clutch costless throw shooting down the stretch to knock off the upset-minded Scarlet Knights.

The Terrapins will be looking for a bounce-back performance on their home floor as they look to stay atop the Big Ten standings.

This game is stacked full of talent on either side of the floor, but there are a select few players that will need to have big games for their respective teams to come away with a victory.

Players to Look

On the Michigan State sideline, senior forward Branden Dawson will need to have a big game if the green and white want to keep their strong play rolling. Last time these two squared off, Dawson finished the game with 9 points and 11 rebounds. Since then, he has recorded two double-doubles in his last three games, and finished a rebound shy of one in the other. Over those three games, he is averaging 13.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest. Dawson is an incredible talent who gives opposing teams headaches on the defensive end night in and night out. Look for Dawson to hover around the double-double mark again as he tries to take advantage of the slightly less-talented forwards of Maryland.

On the Maryland sideline, freshman guard Melo Trimble has enjoyed a great amount of success in his first year at the NCAA Division I level. Trimble leads the team in scoring this season, averaging 15.7 points per contest. He has also scored in double figures in 15 of the team’s first 16 games in 2014-15 (8 points v. Fordham). Last time he faced Michigan State, he put up 17 points despite going 2-of-13 from the field. He was 12-of-14 from the costless throw line. Alongside Dez Wells in the back court, Trimble gives the Terrapins a tandem that can go shot-for-shot with Michigan State’s guards. Michigan State holds a slight edge in terms of shooting ability, as Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine, and Bryn Forbes are all known for their shooting range. However, Trimble has emerged as a Wooden Award candidate, a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate, and a Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate thanks to his strong play. He will need to have a big game on Saturday if Maryland wants to sweep the season series against the Spartans.

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The Michigan State Spartans are looking to avid the season sweep at the hands of the Maryland Terrapins, and keep their resurgent play going with their fourth straight win. On the other side, the Terrapins are looking to rebound after a couple of close calls in their last two games, and want to stay atop the Big Ten standings in their first year of Big Ten competition. This game has all of the making to be the best game played on Saturday, and that’s saying a lot since there are 145 games slated for Saturday.

Be sure to check this game out for some more amazing Big Ten hoops action!

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About the author
Tyler Bennett
I am a Canadian who writes about U.S. college sports...ironic, right? With an undergrad degree in Sport Management, I thought it was only fitting that I write about sports. As a Canadian, I spell words funny, use eh excessively, and apologize profusely, so I am sorry in advance.