Michigan State basketball: Series history vs. Maryland

Michigan State basketball is fresh off a two-game winning streak and hoping to make it three against a solid Maryland team.

Michigan State basketball is fresh off a 76-66 win against Minnesota, its second win in a row. Now the Spartans head to Maryland to take on a solid Terps team that has been playing some good basketball recently.

Before the game gets here on Sunday, let’s take a quick look at the series history between these two programs.

MSU leads the short series

With Maryland still being a relatively new Big Ten team, the series history between these two programs is quite short. They have played 22 times in their history and MSU holds a 14-8 lead over the Terps. That’s honestly a pretty strong record considering Maryland is usually a solid team.

The Spartans are also on a four-game winning streak against the Terps as well. This includes a 63-58 victory in East Lansing last season when these teams last played. Joey Hauser led the way with 20 points and Tyson Walker added 17 of his own. AJ Hoggard also flirted with a triple-double, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.

We can’t talk about this series without mentioning the biggest game in their history. On Mar. 21, 2010, these teams faced off in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Korie Lucious hit the game-winning three as time expired to win the game 85-83.

The Spartans also beat the Terps 60-58 in the Sweet 16 of the 2003 NCAA Tournament as well.

Maryland season update

Maryland enters this game with an 11-7 overall record and a 3-4 Big Ten record. The Terps have won two of their last three games including an impressive 76-67 road win at Illinois.

Maryland is also 9-1 at home this season with the lone loss coming at the hands of Purdue. Maryland has been playing well recently but that wasn’t the case at the beginning of the season. They suffered brutal losses in back-to-back games to Davidson and UAB.

Michigan State will have to play very well to win this game. A win in this game would help the Spartans’ season immensely and give them a lot of momentum as they head to Wisconsin later this week.

I’ll leave you with one final play below because why not? Do you remember when Cassius Winston hit that half-court shot right before halftime at Maryland in 2020? This is one of Winston’s most iconic moments and here’s the highlight for your viewing pleasure.

MSU @ Maryland tomorrow!

Anyone else remember Cassius hitting this half court shot against the Terps?! pic.twitter.com/RaHNbNsnd8

— Daily MSU (@daily_msu) January 20, 2024

Buckle up, Spartan fans. This should be a good one.