#2 Terps Face #3 Michigan State in B1G Semifinal
3/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO - The No. 2 seed Maryland men's basketball team will face No. 3 seed Michigan State at approximately 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament at the United Center.
WATCH: CBS - Jim Nantz (Play-by-Play), Bill Raftery (Analyst), Grant Hill (Analyst)
LISTEN: Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Johnny Holliday (Play-by-Play), Chris Knoche (Analyst), Walt Williams (Sideline); Compass Media Network - Drew Bontadelli and Mike Wozniak; ESPN 980, 105.7 FM
SOCIAL: Follow @TerrapinHoops on Twitter for updates
storylines
• Dez Wells scored 22 points, Melo Trimble added 17 and No. 8 Maryland won its first Big Ten Tournament game, beating Indiana 75-69 in the quarterfinals Friday night. The Terrapins, who won their eighth-straight game, got nine points from Wells in the final nine minutes. They shot seven of eight from the free-throw line in the final 39 seconds to seal it.
• With a win at Nebraska last Sunday, No. 8-ranked Maryland recorded its school-record 26th regular-season victory of the year. The Terps have been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for 15 straight weeks, the longest streak since 2002-03.
• Head coach Mark Turgeon was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Turgeon led Maryland to 26 wins in the regular season, a nine-game improvement from its 17 victories in the 2013-14 season, a mark that is second among schools in the Power Five conferences. His 27 wins this season are a career-high during his 17 seasons as a head coach.
• Maryland rode a seven-game winning streak into its first-ever Big Ten Tournament - the longest winning streak within the conference to end the regular season since Wisconsin won seven consecutive in the 2007-08 season. Dez Wells and Melo Trimble are averaging 19.1 and 18.4 points, respectively, during the team's current eight-game winning streak while the team is shooting a blistering 82 percent from the charity stripe (132-162).
• Dez Wells is on an absolute tear as of late, scoring in double-figures in 12 straight games, while averaging 18.1 points per game with a .524 field goal percentage during that span. He is also averaging a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game during the stretch. Melo Trimble leads the team in double-figure scoring games (29), 20-point games (9), assists (100) and steals (41). He is fourth nationally in free throws made (195).
• Dez Wells scored 16 points, including a game-tying three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in regulation, and Maryland earned a 68-66 double-overtime win over Michigan State on Dec. 30 in the Terps' first-ever Big Ten game. Melo Trimble scored 24 points as Maryland breezed past Michigan State 75-59 on Jan. 17 at XFINITY Center to sweep the regular-season series.
