The Manhattan men's basketball team will open the 2024-25 season at University of Maryland on Nov. 4. In scheduling the Terrapins, the Jaspers will face a Big 10 foe for the first time since squaring off with Rutgers at Madison Square Garden in 2014. Manhattan also battled Wisconsin four years before that in the Old Spice Classic.
"Any chance you get to take on a perennial power in Maryland and one of the best coached programs in America with Kevin Willard is a great opportunity for our program," said Manhattan head coach John Gallagher. "It's a great opportunity for your program to see where it is and to see where it has to get to for March."
Series History
The Jaspers are 1-1 all-time against Maryland, with the last match-up coming back on March 18, 2006 when Manhattan dispatched the Terrapins 87-84 in the second round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). During that run, Manhattan beat Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round of the tournament to set up the win-or-go-home stakes in College Park. After advancing past the Terrapins, Manhattan saw their magical run come to an end at the hands of Old Dominion — a 70-66 nailbiter. Manhattan, who was coached by two-time MAAC Championship-winning coach Bobby Gonzalez, was led by Jeff Xavier's 31 points on 12-24 shooting from the field to go along four threes. The rest of the Jaspers' double-digit scorers were Jason Wingate (21 points), Arturo Dubois (12 points) and Kenny Minor (12 points). Manhattan also forced Maryland into 20 miscues in that last meeting in front of 4,671 fans at the XFINITY Center. The Terrapins, who were coached by former national champion Gary Williams, were led by Travis Garrison's 21 points. The Jaspers' win ended a 29-game home non-conference winning streak for Maryland.
The first all-time meeting between the schools came back on March 15, 1958 when the Jaspers fell short in a 59-55 result in the East Regional Third Place game — which was the older version of the modern-day NCAA Tournament. The Jaspers were led by 12 points apiece from legendary Jasper Jack Powers and Peter Brunone, and received 10 points from Don McGarty. The Terrapins were paced by 18 points from Tom Young. Before falling to Maryland, Manhattan lost an elimination game to Dartmouth in the second round.
The start of the Jaspers' postseason run began with a thrilling 89-84 win at Madison Square Garden over a Jerry West-led West Virginia squad. "The Logo" scored 10 points in that game countered by 29 points and 15 rebounds from legendary Jasper Jack Powers. West passed away on June 12, 2024 after one of the most illustrious careers in basketball history.
Big 10 Duels
Manhattan has 20 victories in program history against Big 10 opponents. That includes 14 career wins over Rutgers, and one win each over Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Northwestern, Washington and Maryland.
Willard vs. Manhattan
Kevin Willard is 5-2 all-time versus Manhattan dating back to the 2007-08 season when he coached Iona. This will be the first career meeting between Gallagher and Willard.
