#7 Maryland @ #25 Ohio State

Who will WIN this matchup?

#7 Maryland Terrapins (22-4)

@ #25 Ohio State Buckeyes (17-9)

Current odds:

#7 Maryland Terrapins: (+130)

#25 Ohio State Buckeyes: (-150)

• The line for this game is Ohio State by 3 points.

• Seventh-ranked Maryland, one of the hottest teams in the country, goes to Columbus in pursuit of its 10th consecutive victory Sunday against No. 24 Ohio State. The winning streak has propelled the Terrapins into a two-game lead in the Big Ten with five games to play in the regular season. Four of Maryland’s wins during the streak have come on the road. The Terrapins haven’t lost since Jan. 14 at Wisconsin in large part relying on Jalen Smith and Anthony Cowan Jr., two of the Big Ten’s best players.

• Ohio State had won five of six and two in a row before getting outplayed in a 85-76 loss on Thursday night at No. 2 Iowa. The Terrapins took an early lead and held Ohio State at bay in a 67-55 victory Jan. 7.

• Smith’s matchup against Ohio State big man Kaleb Wesson could be a key factor in Sunday’s game. Smith dominated Northwestern in Maryland’s latest win with 22 points and a career-high 19 rebounds, but the 6-foot-10 sophomore was limited to 11 points and seven rebounds in the earlier matchup with Wesson. Cowan finished with 20 points the last time the Terrapins and Buckeyes met and hasn’t slowed down much since, leading the team in scoring at 16.7 points and 4.5 assists.

• Wesson was outplayed Thursday by Iowa’s Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Luka Garza and faces another formidable challenge against Smith. Ohio State’s leading scorer and rebounder was held to 10 points and seven rebounds against Iowa while also battling foul trouble. In the first meeting with Smith and Maryland in January, Wesson and his brother, Andre, combined for 29 points, 14 rebounds and four steals, but the Buckeyes shot 31.7 percent from the field and also received 14 points from freshman guard D.J. Carton, who has not played since late January because of health-related issues and remains unavailable despite returning to Columbus this week from his home in Iowa.

• Smith leads Maryland and ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding at 10.5 per game, and is seventh in the conference in scoring at 15.4 points.

• Maryland’s .846 overall winning percentage is tied for ninth-best among NCAA Division I teams.

• Ohio State remains a Top 25 team statistically in 3-point shooting (16th at 37.8 percent entering Saturday) and scoring defense (No. 23, 62.3 points).