The Iowa men’s basketball team finds itself in a similar position. The Hawkeyes are riding a win streak and anticipate a top-25 team visiting Carver-Hawkeye Arena over the weekend, but still need to play one road game beforehand. Earlier this season, Iowa collected four consecutive wins and eyed Illinois as a potential upset win. Yet before the Illini arrived in town, the Hawkeyes visited Minnesota and lost, 70-67. But that was early January.
Now, Iowa has won six consecutive contests, with one a trip to Maryland on Wednesday, previewing a showdown against No. 13 Purdue on Saturday. While the two situations aren’t the same, the sense of urgency is identical.
“You can’t just go on the road and [say], ‘Hey, we’re just gonna play better and try to win,’” Iowa head coach Ben McCollum told reporters on Tuesday. “No, you have to try to take it; otherwise, it’s not gonna work out for you very well.”
The matchup against the Terrapins is a rematch from Dec. 6, when the Hawkeyes won by 19 points despite a sizable free-throw discrepancy. Iowa shot just 12 foul shots to Maryland’s 38. Senior forward Pharrel Payne led the Terrapins in points and rebounds during that contest, but hasn’t played since Dec. 13 due to injury. Maryland won just three of its next 12 games. A road victory over Minnesota on Sunday gave head coach Buzz Williams’ squad its second conference win, pushing it to 14th place in the Big Ten.
The win over the Gophers showcased guard David Coit. The Kansas transfer scored 28 points, including 20 in the second half, and trails only Payne in points per game with 15.2.
McCollum said without Payne in the rotation, Maryland is driving more often and prioritizing the offensive glass.
“They play with house money,” McCollum said. “It’s almost like they play such a violent style for the entire game. It’s tricky to go against, and it’s something we need to make sure that we’re prepared for.”
Maryland ranks 11th in the Big Ten in rebounding and tied for fifth in offensive boards per game. Otherwise, the Terrapins languish in other areas, ranking among the bottom three in points per game, opponent points per game, field goal percentage, and three-point field goal percentage.
The December game against the Terrapins served as McCollum’s “Welcome to the Big Ten” moment in terms of officiating. The coach pointed out he wasn’t critical of any calls, but as his first season in the conference continued, he explained his adjustments to the new league. Whether crews are calling “point of attack” fouls from hand-checking at the top of the key or waiting for contact at the rim, McCollum wants to adapt to his surroundings.
“You can’t just sit there and just blame the circumstances,” McCollum said. “You have to figure out exactly what we’re not doing, then try to adjust your team to be able to do it better.”
Iowa and Maryland face off on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 5 p.m. on FS1.