After coasting through conference play with a perfect 5-0 record heading into the final stretch, No. 2 Northwestern faced its toughest Big Ten test yet in College Park against No. 8 Maryland.
There are few rivalries nationwide as decorated as this one. Together, NU and UMD have won more regular-season titles and conference tournament championships than the rest of the Big Ten combined. The battle often continues in the national tournament, where most recently, in Northwestern’s 2019 Final Four appearance, the ‘Cats’ season ended at the hands of the Terps in the quarterfinals.
It’s safe to say Maryland was out for revenge this year after the Wildcats emerged victorious all three times they met in 2021, including in the Big Ten tournament championship game.