Maryland @ Michigan St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 28, 2018 ) Michigan St 74, Maryland 68

Michigan State looks for its 12th straight victory and to stay in first place in the Big Ten when it hosts Maryland on Monday in a key conference contest between ranked teams. The No. 6 Spartans are coming off a 70-64 victory at Nebraska on Thursday, while the No. 22 Terrapins enter on a seven-game winning streak after a 75-61 win at Ohio State on Friday.

Junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland's leading scorer at 17.9 points per game, has been heating up lately, scoring 20 or more in his last four outings. The Terrapins have a rare pair of big men in 6-10 sophomore Bruno Fernando (14.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, Big Ten-best 2.2 blocks) and 6-10 freshman Jalen Smith (12.1, 7.1), who could pose a problem for a strong Spartans' front line that doesn't have a regular player taller than 6-9. Michigan State has been relying on point guard Cassius Winston (18.2 points, Big Ten-best 7.3 assists) to lead the way, especially with third-leading scorer Joshua Langford sidelined for the last five games with an ankle injury, and is coming off a career-best 29 points against Nebraska. A big key will be how 6-9 junior forward Nick Ward (16.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 63.9 percent shooting) deals with the height of the Maryland front line as he's struggled against taller defenders throughout his career with the Spartans.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT MARYLAND (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten): While Cowan and Fernando are getting a lot of headlines for their play over the last few weeks - and rightfully so - coach Mark Turgeon will point to freshman guards Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins as big reasons for the Terrapins' success as well. Ayala is hitting 48.4 percent from 3-point range and ranks second on the team in assists (2.4 per game), helping to take some pressure off of Cowan when he is drawing extra defensive attention. Wiggins, playing off the bench, is hitting 41.9 percent from 3-point range and ranks second on the team in steals (17) as Turgeon tries to make sure he doesn't put too much on Cowan's plate on both ends of the floor.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (16-2, 7-0): Coach Tom Izzo continues to juggle his rotation because of the injuries to Langford and Kyle Ahrens, meaning he's been using his freshman wing players more. Aaron Henry has stepped into the starting lineup with the veterans sidelined, averaging 8 points and 22 minutes in two starts, including tying his career high with nine points in the win over Nebraska. When Henry got into early foul trouble against the Cornhuskers, Izzo went to another freshman, Gabe Brown, who has set career highs with 21 minutes and four rebounds in each of the last two contests, giving Izzo more confidence that he can trust his freshmen in key times even when Langford and Ahrens return.

TIP-INS

1. Maryland shot 58.1 percent from the field against Ohio State, its highest percentage in league play this season, and had a season-best 64.7 percent shooting from 3-point range.

2. Michigan State is holding opponents to 65.2 points per game and 36.2 percent shooting from the floor during its winning streak.

3. The Spartans and Terrapins are the top teams in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at plus-11.6 and 10.9, respectively.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 82, Maryland 80