Northwestern-Maryland Preview

After taking out its frustration back home last weekend, No. 7 Maryland hopes to begin a new run against a team it handled easily earlier this month.

Northwestern will try to recover from what coach Chris Collins called "a very disappointing loss" as it tries to continue its best road start in 85 years.

The seventh-ranked Terrapins seek their 24th consecutive home victory Tuesday night when they look to take both meetings from the improved Wildcats.

Melo Trimble bailed out the Terps (16-2, 5-1 Big Ten) on Jan. 9 when he hit a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds in a 63-60 win at Wisconsin after the squad had surrendered an eight-point advantage with about seven minutes remaining.

The Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, though, couldn't save them last Tuesday when he had two points in a 70-67 loss at Michigan that snapped a nine-game winning streak.

Now Maryland hopes to keep pace with the Big Ten leaders after getting back on track in Saturday's 100-65 home win over Ohio State. Robert Carter had a career-high 25 points and Rasheed Sulaimon added a season-high 22 as Maryland shot 62.7 percent while scoring 100 for the first time since December 2012.

It has won 23 in a row at the Xfinity Center since losing to Virginia on Dec. 3, 2014, and has won all 12 conference games there since joining the Big Ten.

"I'm really happy for the guys because it was a tough loss (at Michigan) and we hadn't played well and everybody starts to talk about you,'' coach Mark Turgeon said. ''So to go out and really put a performance together is good for them.''

Turgeon's squad, which fell four spots in the poll, will try to get off to another hot start after holding Northwestern (15-4, 3-3) to 32 percent shooting while building a 40-20 halftime lead Jan. 2. Trimble finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Sulaimon added 16 points, six boards and six assists in a 72-59 road win that ended the Wildcats' 10-game winning streak.

Northwestern, chasing the program's first NCAA Tournament berth, took a step back in Saturday's 71-62 home loss to Penn State. The Wildcats missed 23 of 26 shots from 3-point range against the Nittany Lions' zone defense.

"You're not going to make shots if you don't have the right attitude to start the game," Collins told the team's official website. "You're not going to be bailed out with making shots."

Collins' crew has gone 4-0 on the road, including two Big Ten wins, for the program's best start outside of Evanston since winning its first seven in 1930-31.

Alex Olah had five points and two rebounds Saturday in his return after missing six games with a foot injury. Collins said the 7-footer has no minutes restriction.

Tre Demps had a team-high 22 points but Bryant McIntosh was held to 12 on 6-of-15 shooting. The sophomore guard has averaged 17.6 points and 8.1 assists over his last seven games, and finished with 17 and nine versus Maryland.

In last season's meeting in College Park, McIntosh scored 21 but the Wildcats couldn't hold a 14-point lead in a 68-67 loss. Trimble paced the Terps with 27.

Northwestern has dropped its last nine games versus ranked opponents.