The Maryland men’s basketball team has certainly gotten off to a great start during the 2015-16 season.

The Terrapins finished off the non-conference portion of their schedule with just one loss. Their lone blemish was an 89-81 setback at the hands of North Carolina, which featured a terrific point guard battle between Melo Trimble and Marcus Paige.

Maryland did manage to record quality wins over the likes of Connecticut, Georgetown, and Rhode Island.

The Terps finished off non-conference play with convincing victories over Marshall and Princeton before flipping the script to the Big Ten portion of the schedule.

Maryland began conference play with by far their worst performance of the season. The Terps trailed Penn State by 13 points with just 6:19 remaining in the game.

That was when Big Ten Player of the Week Diamond Stone put the team on his back and helped pace the comeback. Stone scored 39 points (32 in the second half) and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 70-64 win for the Terps.

Maryland followed the Penn State victory up with one of their most impressive performances of the season against Northwestern. Trimble and Rasheed Sulaimon combined for 40 points, 14 assists, and 14 rebounds and shot 56 percent from the field.

The Terps have an interesting week ahead with a pair of very different teams. Let’s take a look at who is up next on Maryland’s schedule:

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Rutgers (1/16/16, 7 p.m.)

• Rutgers has put the scandal of the Mike Rice era behind them. Former Washington Wizards coach Eddie Jordan is in his third season with the team. Jordan has accumulated a 28-52 record as the boss of the Scarlet Knights, and helped usher the team into the Big Ten beginning last season. During the 2014-15 season, Rutgers went 10-22 with only one win during Big Ten play. The team had to replace the one-two punch of Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, which accounted for 26.4 points-per-game and 10.4 rebounds-per-game. The Scarlet Knights currently own a 6-9 record, which features losses to Creighton, Clemson, Seton Hall, St. John’s, and Wake Forest in non-conference play.
• Rutgers’ most recent game against Wisconsin saw a change in Jordan’s starting lineup. Leading scorer Corey Sanders came off the bench for the Scarlet Knights, which arguably had to do with the fact that they were facing a veteran team in the Badgers. Sanders had one of his worst games of the season as he only scored two points (1-of-8) in 23 minutes. While Jordan could use the same strategy against another veteran group in Maryland, it wouldn’t be a huge shock if Sanders was back in the starting lineup. Sanders is certainly the top playmaker for Rutgers and it’s easy to see why. The Florida native isn’t all about scoring as he is a very gifted passer. His ability to drive to the basket frees up space for some of the Scarlet Knight shooters. In 10 games this season, Sanders has dished out four or more assists. Sanders is also a pure scorer that possesses an above-average jump shot. Whether he steps back or it’s in transition, he can make shots from everywhere around the perimeter. His ability to drive to the basket is also one of the most valuable parts of his offensive game.
• The Scarlet Knights don’t exactly have a huge stable of bigs. While he may not be a huge offensive threat, center Greg Lewis is the only true post presence. Lewis is an effective rebounder (5.5 per game) and also blocks 1.1 shots per contest. While his field goal percentage may not be spectacular, this is a guy who can space the floor and shoot when he’s open. Lewis is a big body that Carter and Stone will have to deal with quite a bit on Wednesday in order to be successful. This is definitely one of the smaller teams that the Terps will face during the 2015-16 season.
• This is a much different group than what Maryland faced last season. The Scarlet Knights gave the Terps all they could handle in both contests as Maryland only won by a total margin of 18 points. Maryland will still have to worry about guarding the perimeter, similar to a season ago. Sanders may not be quite the player that Mack was as a senior, but he has the ability to do a ton of damage from that area. The game could be won or lost in the frontcourt. As was mentioned above, the Terps hold a significant advantage in the low post from an offensive standpoint. Forward Robert Carter and Stone are two very gifted interior presences, and should give the Scarlet Knights quite a bit of trouble.

at Wisconsin (1/9/16, 1 p.m.)

•  The 2015-16 version of Wisconsin is much different than last year’s squad that went to the national title game. Perhaps the biggest change is the fact that coach Bo Ryan has retired and longtime assistant Greg Gard has taken over. If that weren’t bad enough, the Badgers lost Sam Dekker, Frank Kaminsky, Josh Gasser, and Traevon Jackson. This year’s team has certainly struggled out of the gate as the Badgers own a 9-7 record, which includes losses to Purdue and most recently Indiana in Big Ten play.
• While the offense had run through Dekker and Kaminsky in recent years, Wisconsin still has another guy that can do it all. Forward Nigel Hayes is the straw that stirs the drink for the Badgers. Hayes averages 15.7 points-per-game to go along with 6.7 rebounds-per-game and 4.0 assists-per-game. The junior forward is able to score from the perimeter while also possessing the ability to be effective in the low post. Hayes is just an overall smart basketball player that knows when he can get his shot and when he needs to dish it off. He’s also a solid jump shooter, despite just shooting 29.4 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Badgers also have a very competent point guard and ball-handler in Bronson Koenig. Entering the season, Wisconsin didn’t have to worry about Koenig because he did an admirable job filling in for Jackson when Jackson missed an extended period of time with a fractured foot. During that time, Koenig showed supreme confidence in running the Wisconsin offense. He’s a very composed ball-handler that isn’t afraid to wait in order to make the right pass. He’s averaging 2.5 assists-per-game and has had three or more helpers in nine games this season. Of course, it’s a little bit more difficult to make a play with the supporting cast struggling in the fashion that the Badgers are. Koenig is also a solid shooter from the perimeter. He shot 40.5 percent from beyond the arc a season ago and is shooting at a 37 percent clip so far this season.
• Much like Rutgers, this is a very different group than the one that Maryland faced a season ago. In their matchup last season, the Terps upset the No. 5 Badgers at home in late February in the biggest game on Maryland’s schedule. It’s a polar just one year later as the Terps are one of the most dominant teams in the nation. Similar to the matchup against Rutgers, it could come down to the play on the interior as Maryland certainly holds a significant advantage. The Terps possess four very talented big men that can alter shots and do their fair share of scoring as well.