On Sunday, Nov. 24, Villanova is scheduled to compete in the Empire Classic. The ‘Cats will be traveling to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ to take on Maryland (4-1).

Maryland is a part of the Big Ten Conference. The Terrapins have a current season record of 4-1, tying them at third place in their conference standings. Villanova has a record of 3-3 for the 2024-2025 season. This puts the ‘Cats at last place in the Big East.

However, in their last meeting on Nov. 17, 2023, the Wildcats defeated the Terrapins, 57-40. Although it was a low-scoring game, the ‘Cats still managed to pull out the win. Senior guard Jordan Longino managed three points and a rebound for Nova. Graduate guard Eric Dixon scored seven points and a team-high of eight rebounds that night.

On the Terrapins side of the bench, senior forward Julian Reese was Maryland’s highest scorer of the night with 10 points, as well as six rebounds. Graduate guard Jahari Long pulled off four points and three assists against the ‘Cats. Graduate forward Jordan Geronimo managed five rebounds against the ‘Cats powerful offense.

Similar to Villanova, Maryland’s roster has several new additions for this season. Junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie is a transfer from Belmont University. Hailing from Greenville, Tennessee, Gillespie averaged 17 points last year and is tied for the Terrapins’ scoring leader. Freshman center Derik Queen is the other scoring leader from Baltimore, Maryland. Queen is a former McDonald’s All-American and was ranked as the No. 10 recruit nationally by ESPN.

The ‘Cats are looking forward to continuing their non-conference play and aim to extend their win streak against the Terps. 

The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24 on ESPN.