Maryland men’s basketball vs. Washington preview — and more

After earning its highest quality win of the season over Iowa on Feb. 11, Maryland men’s basketball has entered a two-game skid. In its last contest against Northwestern, Andre Mills shined tremendously with 39 points, but his counterparts added on just 35 more in the defeat.

With five games remaining in the season, the Terps are still aiming to salvage some last-minute victories. Washington presents an opportunity for that.

The Huskies have a better record than both of the programs Maryland recently lost to, but they’re still just .500 on the year. In their last match, they picked up a home victory over Minnesota, but they lost by three to Penn State in the previous game.

Saturday’s game will begin at 3 p.m. and stream on Peacock.

Washington Huskies (13-13, 5-10 Big Ten)

Head coach Danny Sprinkle is in his second year at the helm of the Huskies. His first year was underwhelming, as the team finished 13-18. Most of Sprinkle’s commendable work as a head coach came during his time with Utah State — he led the Aggies to a Mountain West regular-season title and NCAA Tournament appearance. All-Big Ten honorable mention forward Great Osobor made the move to Seattle alongside Sprinkle, but the senior ran out of eligibility.

Before his time with the Aggies, Sprinkle spent four years as head coach of Montana State, where he guided the program to two NCAA Tournament berths. 

Players to watch

Hannes Steinbach, freshman forward, 6-foot-11, No. 6 — The loss of Osobor hurts a little bit less for Sprinkle and company, and it’s all because of the Germany native that has burst onto the scene. In what has been one of the best freshman classes nationally in recent years, Steinbach is undoubtedly near the top. He’s averaging an 18-point, 11.3-rebound double double — those 18 points per game lead the team.

Steinbach leads the Power Five with 16 double doubles and is fourth in the country in rebounds per game.

Zoom Diallo, sophomore guard, 6-foot-4, No. 5 — As a guard, Diallo sits 12th in the conference with a 48.8 field goal percentage. He’s second on the team in points per game (14.7). Despite what his name might indicate, Diallo’s strengths are his size and physicality, and he’s able to exploit vulnerable matchups consistently and get to the free throw line. 

Franck Kepnang, graduate student center, 6-foot-11, No. 11 — Though Kepnang averages just 6.1 points per game, his impact comes on the defensive end. He’s totaled 55 blocks this season — 30 more than the team’s next closest player — and is a dependable asset, starting 24 of 26 games. 

Strength

Rebouding. The Huskies pull down an average of 12 offensive rebounds per game, good for fourth-best in the conference and just behind Maryland. But they’re also equally as adept on the defensive glass, ranking fourth in the Big Ten in rebounds per game (37.3).

Weakness

Three-point shooting. This was supposed to be Northwestern’s weakness heading into Wednesday’s game, but they hit 12 treys on over 50% shooting. Washington currently has the fourth-lowest 3-point percentage in the conference (32.1), but the Terps can’t defend the arc complacently. 

Three things to watch

1. Andre Mills’ development. Over the past eight games, Mills has posted scoring totals of 16, 18, 24 and 39. His ascension as a player has been an extremely welcome sight for Terps fans in a down year. It will be worth watching whether the freshman guard can build off his supernova performance Wednesday.

2. Collin Metcalf minutes. The senior transfer from Northeastern has seen a serious uptick in playing time recently, starting and playing at least 15 minutes in each of the team’s last six games. His paint presence and rebounding chops will be vital in combating a staunch offensive rebounding team in the Huskies. 

3. Diggy Coit bounce-back? In Maryland’s two consecutive losses, Coit posted scoring totals of just 12 and 7, respectively. Coit’s high-scoring displays typically bode well for the Terps — his last three games with more than 15 points all resulted in wins. It will be interesting to see if the guard can get off to a hot start Saturday.

Ademola Lookman, the new energy with Atletico

Ademola Lookman/@Atletico Madrid

Ademola Lookman has just reached a major milestone in his career by leaving Atalanta Bergamo for Atlético Madrid. The Nigerian wasted no time adapting to Spanish football, quickly establishing himself as a key player for the capital club.

In just five matches with Los Colchoneros, the Super Eagle has scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists—matching the stats he recorded for Atalanta Bergamo in 19 appearances earlier this season.

The club change has clearly unleashed the 28-year-old, whose impact is delighting both Diego Simeone and Atlético Madrid fans. His first goal in the Champions League against Club Brugge is proof he’ll be a real asset for his team in the competition.

Let’s not forget, Lookman was close to signing with Inter Milan last summer, but Atalanta Bergamo blocked the transfer.

Rory McIlroy opened his Genesis Invitational campaign with a strong round of 66 at Riviera, setting himself up nicely for the week ahead.

He carded six birdies against just one bogey to leave him in a good position early on. Before play began, McIlroy had voiced his dislike of the recent changes to Riviera’s fourth hole.

But that didn’t stop him from picking up a birdie there during his opening round.

The Northern Irishman finished the day five-under-par, just one shot behind Aaron Rai, who set the early pace with a 65. With plenty of golf left to play, McIlroy will feel well placed heading into Friday’s second round.

There was also good news for fans back home: full live coverage of each round is available on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event throughout the week.

Rory McIlroy says his game is still improving after opening round 66 at Riviera

Over the last 15 years, McIlroy has established himself as one of the top golfers of his era, and his record speaks for itself.

His competitiveness and determination to win were evident again on Thursday at Riviera.

After finishing his round, McIlroy was asked by reporters about the challenges of playing Riviera in the windy and wet conditions.

McIlroy said: “Yeah, I’ve definitely got more comfortable playing in conditions like this over the past few years.”

“I’ve gotten more comfortable in controlling my ball flight, and controlling my ball flight taking a lot more club, hitting the ball low.

“Yeah, and I’ve started to just really enjoy this style of golf. If you had asked me 10 years ago, I didn’t enjoy these conditions, but it’s been a shift in a mindset and maybe just a continuation of trying to build upon the skill set that I have.

“Then when it does get to conditions like this, I’m a lot more prepared. I wouldn’t say I enjoy them, but I can certainly handle them better. As I said, I haven’t always enjoyed these conditions. I haven’t always — honestly, I haven’t always had the skill set to excel in them.

Looking at McIlroy’s numbers from the opening round of the Genesis Invitational

McIlroy finds himself in a good position after day one at Riviera.

But with plenty of golf still to be played, there’s a lot that could change. More than half the field is still yet to finish their opening rounds due to a three-hour rain delay on Thursday.

The 2025 Masters champion will be pleased with how things are looking early on, but what do the stats say about his game right now?

The numbers show that McIlroy was pretty steady across all areas of his game.

His driving wasn’t quite up to his usual high standards, but that’s rarely an issue for him over multiple rounds. Expect him to find his rhythm off the tee as play continues into Friday.

Adding a win at Riviera would be another milestone for him. It’s one of those venues that carries real weight in golf history, and he’s spoken before about how winning at places like this has become more important to him as his career goes on.

If he can maintain this level, and continue making incremental gains in certain parts of his game, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him add more majors to his tally before long.

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