How to Watch No. 12 Nebraska Basketball vs. Maryland with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

The No. 12 Nebraska men’s basketball team will need its own March Madness hero when the NCAA Tournament tips off in a few weeks, and if recent performances are any indication, forward Pryce Sandfort may be emerging as that guy.

The Huskers' own Braden Frager and Rienk Mast had their spotlights earlier in the season, but as the season turns to its final stretch, it has been the Iowa transfer who's taken over. Sandfort set a career high in his latest outing for NU, pouring in 33 points on a school record eight three-pointers, which comes after he set the school's single-season record for most three-pointers made. With Frager adding 15 points and Sam Hoiberg posting his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 assists, Nebraska got back on the winning track with an 87-63 blowout win over Penn State on Saturday.

Sandfort, who's now averaging 17.9 points per game with 4.6 rebounds and a 41% mark from downtown, has scored at least 29 points in two of the last three contests with 16 made three-pointers in that same span. Production like that will be key in this final regular season stretch, which continues Wednesday when they host a Maryland team that's struggling in the first year of head coach Buzz Williams.

Here's all you need to know.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 12 Nebraska (23-4, 12-4 B1G) vs. Maryland (11-16, 4-12 B1G)
When: Wednesday, February 25
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 6 p.m. CST
Watch: Big Ten Network
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Maryland Scout

Head Coach

Buzz Williams | 1st season at Maryland; 18th as HC
11-16 (.407) at Maryland; 384-244 (.611) Career Record
11x NCAA Tournament Apps., 1x Elite Eight, 3x Sweet 16
1x Big East regular season title
2x SEC Coach OTY
Previous head coach at Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Marquette and New Orleans
Previous assistant at Marquette, Texas A&M, Colorado State, Northwestern State, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas-Arlington

2024-2025 Record & Awards

Record: 27-9 (14-6 B1G, T-2nd)
Finish: L, 87-71 to No. 3 Florida in Sweet 16
B1G Awards: Freshman of the Year,
All-B1G: 1x First Team, 1x Third Team, 1x Honorable Mention, 1x All-Freshman

All-Time Series

Maryland leads 14-4
Feb. 13, 2025, last matchup, 83-75 Maryland

Derik Queen (right) was taken No. 13 overall in the NBA Draft last year after his freshman season at Maryland last year. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Key Returners

No major contributors

Key Departures

Derik Queen | C | NBA Draft | Named last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Year before being taken No. 13 overall by the Atlanta Hawks and later traded to the New Orleans Pelicans on draft night.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie | G | Transfer | Earned All-Big Ten Third Team honors after pouring in 14.7 points per game while leading the team with 4.8 assists per contest; transferred to Tennessee over the offseason.
Rodney Rice | G | Transfer | Scored 13.8 points per game and ranked second on the team with 80 made three-pointers in his sophomore season before transferring to USC.
Julian Reese | F | Graduated | All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in his final season of college basketball, with over 13 points per game and grabbing nine rebounds.
Selton Miguel | G | Graduated | Full-time starter last season who scored over 11 points per game and hit over 42% of his three-point attempts.
Tafara Gapare | G | Transfer | Key reserve in 32 games last season as a true freshman before transferring to Villanova, where he announced his departure from the program in early January.
Deshawn Harris-Smith | G | Transfer | Another underclassman who contributed off the bench before transferring to the Big East and Georgetown.
Jordan Geronimo | F | Graduated | A 6-foot-8 forward who came off the bench in all 30 appearances while adding over two points and rebounds per game.
Jay Young | G | Graduated | Former five-time transfer that played in over 10 minutes per game last year in all 36 games.

Tennessee guard Ja'kobi Gillespie (0) was an All-Big Ten Third Team pick with the Terrapins before transferring. | ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Pharrel Payne | F/C | Sr. | Star transfer that followed Williams from Texas A&M and was averaging over 17 points per game before suffering a gruesome injury on December 13 that's kept him out since.
David Coit | G | Gr. | Former All-MAC performer from Northern Illinois and transfer from Kansas, who leads active Maryland players with 14.4 points per game as only a part-time starter.
Darius Adams | G | Fr. | Top-20 recruit who's averaging over 11 points per game as a key member in the Terrapins' starting lineup.
Andre Mills | G | R-Fr. | Another follower from Texas A&M that's scoring 11.3 points per game and 3.9 rebounds after sitting out last season to redshirt.
Solomon Washington | F | Sr. | Transfer from Texas A&M that entered the season with over 97 career games played and acts as one of five double-figure scorers with 10.3 points per game.
Elijah Saunders | F | Sr. | 6-foot-8 starting forward who averaged over 10 points per game at Virginia before transferring to Maryland with 8.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest.
Myles Rice | G | R-Jr. | Former Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and team captain at Indiana before coming to Maryland, where he's averaging over five points per game as a primary reserve.
Isaiah Watts | G | Jr. | Another Washington State forward that's become a bench contributor for the Terps.
Aleks Alston | F | Fr. | No. 1-ranked player from the state of Illinois who's seeing over nine minutes per contest in 22 games this year.
Collin Metcalf | C | Sr. | 6-foot-9 bench center that's appeared in 25 games this year after being a 2025 CAA All-Defensive Team pick at Northeastern.

Maryland forward Pharrel Payne (21) was averaging over 17 points per game before suffering an injury in mid-December. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Outlook

In a highly public standoff between former Maryland head coach Kevin Willard and the university’s administration, Willard ultimately left the program for Villanova shortly after leading the Terrapins to a Sweet 16 appearance. It was a situation that sparked major discussions surrounding decisions to support certain sports with the school's revenue share pot, which Willard took exception to when he didn't believe the resources matched the ambition and results he proved in his tenure. Despite reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the Maryland roster was decimated following Willard's departure, which was headlined by eventual No. 13 overall draft pick Derik Queen.

The hiring of Buzz Williams from Texas A&M ignited the coaching carousel, but it did not instill any confidence in the Terrapins' leftover roster, as no major contributors decided to stay through the coaching change. All-Big Ten Third Team pick Ja'Kobi Gillespie made his way to Tennessee for his senior season, 13.8-point scorer Rodney Rice transferred to USC, and four other big playmakers graduated.

Maryland guard David Coit (8) leads active Terrapin players with 14.4 points per game after Payne's injury in December. | David Banks-Imagn Images

It forced Williams to structure a roster overhaul, which started with the addition of A&M transfer Pharrel Payne. The forward and center starred for Williams in College Station and was leading the team with over 17 points per game early in the season, but he suffered a gruesome injury that's kept him out since Dec. 13. Part-time starter and former All-MAC performer David Coit now leads the Terrapins in scoring with 14.4 points per game. Maryland has three more double-figure contributors, including a pair of young stars in true freshman Darius Adams (11.3 PPG) and redshirt freshman Texas A&M transfer Andre Mills (11.3).

Rounding out the group is another former Aggie in Solomon Washington, with 10.3 points per game. Virginia transfer and starting forward Elijah Saunders adds 8.7 points per game and grabs nearly five rebounds. A pair of Washington State transfers, Myles Rice (5.6) and Isaiah Watts (4.4), make their impact off the bench, while 2025 CAA All-Defensive pick Collin Metcalf provides forward depth after transferring from Northeastern.

Overall, it's not a bad collection of talent after a complete overhaul of the roster, but Payne's devastating injury in December turned the tide on Maryland's season. A 4-12 record in Big Ten play has ramped up the pressure on Williams, who's been criticized for his lack of effort in connecting with the Maryland fanbase. The Terps have won three of their last five games, including an upset win over Iowa, but that also includes defeats to conference bottom dwellers Northwestern and Rutgers. Being at home, I expect a tight first 20 minutes before the Huskers run away in the second half for a comfortable win.