No. 16 Maryland men’s basketball received its highest ranking of the season Monday in the Associated Press top-25 poll. It now has to prove its worth against the conference’s highest-ranked opponent, No. 8 Michigan State,

The Spartans come to College Park Wednesday in possession of the No. 1 spot in Big Ten standings, and the Terps have a chance to establish themselves as the conference’s team to beat ahead of next month’s Big Ten Tournament.

Wednesday’s contest will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and air on Big Ten Network.

Michigan State Spartans (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten)

Legendary head coach Tom Izzo has raised up another daunting squad in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans will enter Xfinity Center Wednesday off back-to-back ranked wins, including one on the road against in-state rival No. 15 Michigan.

Even for Michigan State’s standards, this is an elite squad. With four regular-season games left — three against ranked opponents — it has its highest conference winning percentage since 2017-18, a year the Spartans earned a No. 3 seed in March before falling to No. 11-seed Syracuse in a stunner.

But that standing could change in a hurry down the stretch. The Spartans play Maryland, No. 11 Wisconsin and Michigan in their final stretch before the Big Ten Tournament.

Players to know

Jaden Akins, senior guard, 6-foot-4, No. 3 — Michigan State’s scoring rotation is deep; nine players average at least 15 minutes and five points per game. But Akins leads them in that category, with 13 points per game to go along with 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

Jeremy Fears, redshirt freshman guard, 6-foot-2, No. 1 — Fears has come on strong in his first year as a starter under Izzo. He’s not a massive scoring threat, with just 7.1 points per game, but he’s an elite offensive facilitator — his 5.8 assists per game rank third in the Big Ten. That’s paired with a team-high one steal per game.

Jaxon Kohler, junior forward, 6-foot-9, No. 0 — Kohler is another contributor that doesn’t necessarily light up the scoreboard (eight points per game), but plays an imperative role elsewhere. He’s a defensive star on one of the best defensive teams in the country, leading the Spartans by a wide margin in rebounds with 7.6 per game.

Strength

Defense. The Spartans can lock teams up with the best of them. While they don’t create a lot of turnovers — they’re third-worst in the Big Ten at doing so — they hold opponents to just 67.2 points per game, second-fewest in the conference. That’s helped them notch the No. 12 defense in the country by KenPom rating.

Weakness

Three-point shooting. Michigan State is plagued with the same issue Maryland was a season ago. It shoots an abysmal 29.6% from deep, comfortably the worst mark in the Big Ten. It counters that by being tied for the fewest 3-point attempts in the conference, so it’s not a massive impediment. But don’t expect the Spartans to be letting it fly Wednesday.

Three things to watch

1. Massive, massive litmus test. For all the success Maryland has experienced over the past two months, it’s only played one currently-ranked opponent in 2025. The Terps beat them — No. 11 Wisconsin — but even that was nearly a month ago. If they can come out victorious against a top-10 team like Michigan State, the hype surrounding College Park will get much louder.

2. Crab Five against a deep rotation. Izzo and head coach Kevin Willard have vastly different styles of deploying their players. Maryland’s minute-dominant starting five could overwhelm Michigan State’s deep rotation, or the Spartans’ depth could tire out the Crab Five. It’s yet to be seen which sentiment holds more true.

3. Standings watch. A win over the Spartans would push the Terps just one game away from No. 1 in the standings, behind Michigan — who both Maryland and Michigan State have remaining games against. Michigan State has a brutal schedule ahead of them; a Maryland win opens the door for a Big Ten regular season championship.