Iowa Must Avoid Maryland Letdown in Big Ten Tournament

The Iowa Hawkeyes are set to match up with the Maryland Terrapins in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, and they should be scared.

On paper, the Hawkeyes should cruise against a Maryland squad that’s barely had a pulse all season. The Terrapins have only won 12 games all season and have looked fairly miserable in the process. As such, it would be easy to discount this contest as a throwaway — Iowa should win it going away, moving on to the next round in the Big Ten Tournament in the process.

But sports aren’t played on paper, which means that this outcome is anything but set in stone. Maryland has already proved to the world that it can compete with the Hawkeyes — it took Iowa down 77-70 back on Feb. 11 in what was one of the team’s most embarrassing defeats of the 2025-26 campaign — and is playing solid basketball over the past week or so. Sure, it lost to Illinois in the final game of the regular season, but the battle was close to the end and Maryland showed some fight. The Terrapins then went out and took down Oregon in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

In short, momentum is on the side of Maryland, not Iowa. Should the Hawkeyes be caught flat-footed, perhaps in a haze and fog due to the early-morning tipoff, then this matchup could spell disaster.

Hawkeyes Can’t Overlook Terrapins After February Upset

Mar 8, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum during the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Anything less than a win over Maryland would be less than ideal. While Iowa appears to be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, it’s better to leave nothing up to chance. Yes, the bracketology experts have the Hawkeyes safely in the field, but their stamp of approval does not equal a guarantee that the selection committee will think the same. Any chance to improve the resume would be welcome, and while a win over Maryland wouldn’t necessarily move the needle, the Hawkeyes need to have it if they want to take down some of the bigger schools in the conference later this week.

Iowa just has to hope that it puts up a performance like it did on Dec. 6. It beat Maryland 83-64 that day, with Bennett Stirtz leading the way with 25 points. If that’s the reality, then everything should be fine. The scary scenario includes an effort similar to the one on Feb. 11, the haunting date of that 77-70 defeat in College Park. Stirtz did his thing that day and scored 32 points, but the rest of the team didn’t show up. Iowa can’t afford a game like that — its hopes and dreams for a long run in both the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament depend on it.

Tipoff for Iowa’s bout with Maryland is set for 11 a.m. CT from the United Center in Chicago. The game will be televised on Peacock.

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