Mark Snyder

Detroit Free Press

Most signs are that Michigan's home basketball game tonight against No. 3 Maryland should be tough.

The Terps are on a nine-game winning streak, have one of the nation's best players in point guard Melo Trimble and have a talented player at U-M's weakest spot in center Diamond Stone.

The Wolverines likely will be playing without star guard Caris LeVert and have lost by at least 14 points in all four of their games against teams currently in the kenpom.com Top 40.

Yet by analyst Ken Pomeroy's projections, the Wolverines are the favorite tonight, with a 52% chance of winning.

Among the sports books, Maryland is just a 1 1/2-point favorite.

U-M coach John Beilein on Monday noted the contrast in the programs, as Maryland has built its roster with transfers (forward Robert Carter from Georgia Tech and guard Rasheed Sulaimon from Duke) while the Wolverines are a young, developing group.

A year ago, one of Maryland's players was a former Wolverine, Evan Smotrycz.

"Last year, the same thing, the fifth-year guys really helped them," Beilein said on his radio show Monday. "We chose not to go that way, to go with our young kids and build this program back the way we built it in the beginning."

The age difference is noticeable for Beilein, especially in the rotation. Carter, Sulaimon and senior Jake Layman all in at least their fourth year of college basketball. Michigan's only seniors, LeVert and Spike Albrecht, are out with injuries, and the Wolverines only have two third-year scholarship players: Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin.

Time change: Michigan is getting its first taste of the late-night midweek Big Ten games with tonight's "Super Tuesday" spotlight. ESPN's Mike Tirico, fresh off calling the College Football Playoff title game on ESPN Radio, and legendary analyst Dick Vitale are on the mic.

With the game at home, Beilein actually prefers the late tip-off to earlier ones.

"I like it because we're usually going through our final prep, it's after classes and, if you have a 7 o'clock start, all our guys are done at 2:30 and are rushing over to get there," Beilein said. "I like the idea that we won't rush it. ... It'll be a great environment. Our kids are fired-up, and I know our student body is."

He said there will be a special fan giveaway tonight and he implied that introductions will be different than usual.

"It's going to be amazing what they have waiting for everybody," Beilein said.

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Michigan nets big win over No. 3 Maryland, 70-67

Contact Mark Snyder atmsnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our new Wolverines Xtra appon iTunesandAndroid!