Maryland and Virginia renew one of college basketball's oldest rivalries Friday night at XFINITY Center in College Park, Md., where the Terps (1-1) host No. 6 Virginia (4-0) in the 186th meeting between the two former ACC charter members. Tip-off is 8 p.m. ET, with the game streaming on Peacock.
Maryland comes in off an 86-74 loss to Georgetown on Saturday (recap). Virginia beat Bucknell 95-61 in its last outing and now plays its first true road game of the season.
Top Storyline: Pharrel Payne Finally Gets His Shot at Virginia
Last December's meeting in Charlottesville was won in the paint, and Maryland played it without its best player. Payne had injured his knee in the first half of the Terps' previous game against Michigan and sat out, and Virginia owned the interior, outscoring Maryland 44-10 in the paint on the way to an 80-72 win. Without their anchor, the Terps scored just 19 first-half points and committed 19 turnovers.
This time, Payne is healthy. The graduate big man, who missed most of last season, leads Maryland at 20.5 points per game and is getting to the free-throw line nearly nine times a night. Maryland leaned on him heavily at Georgetown, where 57% of its points came in the paint, and Buzz Williams said afterward that his team needs better shot selection and more pressure on the rim.
That's a tall order against this Virginia frontcourt. Johann Grünloh is blocking 2.7 shots per game, and Thijs De Ridder, this week's ACC Player of the Week, is as physical a defender as Payne will see. Both can also step out and make 3-pointers, which makes it hard for Maryland to pack the lane on the other end. The Terps' clearest path is to get Payne going early and draw enough fouls to send one of Virginia's bigs to the bench.
Key Matchup
Virginia has the edge from 3-point range (36.2% to 20.8%).
Ball security may matter just as much. Virginia is averaging 13.3 steals per game and has reached double figures in steals in all four of its games, the program's first such streak since 1999. Maryland averages just 10.0 assists, and turnovers sank the Terps in last season's meeting.
Virginia's Fast Start
The Cavaliers climbed from No. 9 in the preseason AP poll to No. 6, their highest ranking since February 2023. They're scoring a school-record 93.0 points per game and dished out 30 assists against Bucknell, tied for the second-most in program history.
Continuity is the engine. Virginia brought back 10 of its 11 eligible players from a 30-6 team that finished second in the ACC, including De Ridder, an All-ACC first-teamer last season, plus Grünloh, Sam Lewis and Chance Mallory. All four are scoring in double figures: De Ridder (17.8), Lewis (15.0), Mallory (14.8) and Grünloh (13.0).
Second-year coach Ryan Odom also has a local footnote to this matchup. He was on the bench at UMBC, just up the road in Catonsville, when the Retrievers beat top-seeded Virginia in 2018, the first 16-over-1 upset in NCAA Tournament history.
Maryland Looking for a Statement
Williams is in his second season in College Park after a 12-21 debut that included a 4-16 Big Ten mark. Getting Payne back on the floor was the biggest reason for optimism entering the year, and Friday is the Terps' first chance to measure themselves against a top-10 opponent.
The setting should help. Maryland has called for an all-red crowd at XFINITY Center, and the program is spending the season celebrating the 25th anniversary of its 2002 national championship.
Series History
The teams have met two times in the last 10 seasons, with Maryland going 0-2.
- Dec. 20, 2025: Virginia 80, Maryland 72 (at Virginia)
- Nov. 28, 2018: Virginia 76, Maryland 71 (at Maryland)
The longer view favors Maryland. Virginia is the Terps' longest-running series, dating to 1913, and Maryland holds a 108-77 all-time edge, according to the school. The teams played every season from 1924 to 2014, missing only 1939-40, and split eight meetings in the ACC Tournament, though they have never faced each other in the NCAA Tournament or NIT.
The recent run belongs to Virginia, which has won nine of the last 10 meetings, including two straight at XFINITY Center. The games have stayed tight, though: each of the last eight has been decided by 11 points or fewer.
Maryland's last regular-season game as an ACC member came against Virginia on March 9, 2014, a 75-69 overtime win over the then-No. 5 Cavaliers that snapped their 13-game winning streak in front of a sellout crowd of 17,950 in College Park.
Friday is the second game of a four-game series that resumed last season. The teams meet in Charlottesville in 2027-28 before returning to XFINITY Center in 2028-29. There's even a family thread running through it: Maryland radio analyst Chris Knoche's daughter, Kelsey, is Virginia's director of basketball operations.
By the Numbers
| Maryland | Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 1-1 | 4-0 |
| Last 10 games | 1-1 | 4-0 |
| Points per game | 85.0 (tied for 11th in Big Ten) |
93.0 (2nd in Atlantic Coast) |
| Points allowed | 76.5 | 66.3 |
| Field goal % | 44.4 (17th in Big Ten) |
49.6 (7th in Atlantic Coast) |
| 3-point % | 20.8 (18th in Big Ten) |
36.2 (9th in Atlantic Coast) |
| Rebounds per game | 45.5 (2nd in Big Ten) |
42.8 (5th in Atlantic Coast) |
| Assists per game | 10.0 (18th in Big Ten) |
22.8 (2nd in Atlantic Coast) |
Players to Watch
Maryland: Pharrel Payne, 20.5 points; Tomislav Buljan, 8.5 rebounds; DJ Wagner, 3.0 assists per game
Virginia: Thijs De Ridder, 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds; Johann Grünloh, 13.0 points and 2.7 blocks; Chance Mallory, 5.0 assists per game
Odds
Spread: Virginia is a 5.5-point favorite over Maryland.
Over/under: 153.5 total points.
Moneyline: Virginia -238, Maryland +195.
Odds via DraftKings as of publication and subject to change; shown for informational purposes only. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Where to Watch/Listen
Tip-off: Friday, Nov. 13, 8 p.m. ET, XFINITY Center, College Park, Md.
TV/Stream: Peacock (subscription required)
Radio: Maryland Sports Radio Network (Johnny Holliday, Chris Knoche and Walt Williams) on WJZ-FM 105.7 The Fan (Baltimore) and Team 980 AM (Washington, D.C.); One Maryland app; TuneIn
Live: Follow it in the Maryland GameCenter