Maryland Hosts Top-6 Virginia Friday

Maryland men's basketball plays No. 6 Virginia on Friday at 8 p.m. at Xfinity Center in College Park. The matchup marks the 186th meeting between the two schools and serves as the first major test for coach Buzz Williams in his second season.

The Terrapins enter the game with a 1-1 record. They defeated Bucknell 96-67 and then lost to Georgetown 86-74 last Saturday. Virginia is 4-0, having won all four games by double digits. The Cavaliers are chasing a second straight start with a 5-0 record and hold their highest ranking since February 2023.

John Fanta and Nick Bahe provide broadcast color for the nationally televised game on NBCSN and Peacock. Johnny Holliday, Chris Knoche, and Walt Williams handle play-by-play for the Maryland Sports Radio Network. Fans can also listen via Audacy.

Pharrel Payne leads the Maryland roster. The forward-center averaged 20.5 points per game, ranking fifth in the Big Ten. He scored 28 points with eight rebounds in the loss at Georgetown. Payne missed the final 21 games of the previous season due to an injury. Andre Mills, a transfer from Texas A&M, started the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds against Bucknell.

Virginia features forward Thijs De Ridder, the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds last season. Freshman forward Nolan Adekunle has averaged 13.5 points in his last two games. Senior guard Sam Lewis shoots 41.6% from three-point range for his career.

The rivalry dates back to the 1912-13 season. Virginia has won nine of the last ten meetings, including an 80-72 victory last season. The series includes the first game played at Cole Field House, a 67-55 Maryland win over Virginia on December 2, 1955. In their final regular-season ACC matchup in 2014, Maryland beat No. 5 Virginia 75-69 in overtime.

Maryland went 12-21 in the 2024-25 season under Williams. The team was 0-9 against Top 25 opponents. A home win over a top-10 team provides the kind of resume victory the program lacked last winter. Georgetown made 15 of 30 three-point attempts against Maryland last weekend, highlighting the defensive challenge posed by Virginia's shooters.

The game is the second of a four-game series. The teams will meet in Charlottesville next season before returning to College Park in 2028-29. The event features an annual Red Out with a Y2K theme. The first 4,000 fans and students receive T-shirts. Maryland also plans to honor its 1972 NIT championship team during the game.

Maryland football sits at 3-6 under interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim. The team hosts Wisconsin at noon Saturday. The athletic department sold tickets through its official website. The basketball team aims to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013-14.