Game Prediction: Maryland vs Northwestern
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Maryland returns the action tonight in a road contest against Northwestern. The Terps will look to continue to ride the momentum they've built over the last two games with wins over No. 22 UCLA and Minnesota. Currently sitting in 8th place in the conference, the Terrapins are starting to assert themselves as a legitimate threat to contend for a Big Ten title and beyond. Although things are trending in the right direction, head coach Kevin Willard is stressing the importance of 'one game at a time'. In a conference as deep as the Big Ten, every win matters.
The Terrapins are 12-6 all-time against the Wildcats, although Northwestern has won the last two meetings. In order to get back on the winning side in this matchup, Maryland will need another solid performance from guys like Derik Queen and Ja'Kobi Gillespie. Queen is fresh off of a career high 27-point performance against the Golden Gophers, while Ja'kobi Gillespie notched his own career high of 27 points three days earlier against No. 22 UCLA.
Northwestern has struggled in conference play so far, sitting at just 1-4 on the season. On the flip side, Maryland is looking to score its third consecutive win in the conference, a win that would bring their league record to 4-3.
Game Prediction
Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Derik Queen have led the Terrapins in scoring in nine of the first 17 games this season. Queen currently leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game - and I expect that to continue on Thursday night. And although the true freshman center is certainly a force offensively, the Terrapins feature a number of weapons who can light up the scoreboard, including guys like Rodney Rice and Julian Reese. Defensively, Maryland routinely plays solid enough to give themselves a chance in every single game. In fact, the Terps four losses on the season have come by an average of 4.75 points per loss.
On paper, Maryland has the advantage and the necessary talent to take care of business convincingly in Evanston.
Final Score: Maryland 76, Northwestern 67
Scoring leader: Derik Queen, 23 pts
Assist leader: Ja'Kobi Gillespie, 6 ast
Rebound leader: Julian Reese, 9 reb
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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