Thursday tip-off: Big Ten's big-time freshmen face off

Best Bet: In this one-and-done era, it's just a fact of life that top teams are going to feature freshmen in key roles, for better or worse. Two of the Big Ten's most prominent rookies square off tonight as No. 13 Maryland visits Ohio State (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Terrapins' first-year sensation is Melo Trimble, a shoot-first guard putting up 16.3 points a game and hovering around the 40% mark from three-point range. The Buckeyes' D'Angelo Russell has been even hotter of late. He did a little of everything in Ohio State's weekend win against Indiana, scoring 22 points while also handing out 10 assists and securing six rebounds. Russell has the luxury of sharing the back court with veteran Shannon Scott, but Maryland's Dez Wells, who had the decisive tip-in in the Terrapins' comeback win against Northwestern last time out, is regaining his form after missing time with an injury.

Number of the day: 21.2. Thanks to this week's snowstorm in the northeast, you can get a head start on watching Thursday afternoon basketball. Providence's rescheduled home game with DePaul (2 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) will also give you a chance to see the Big East's top scorer in action. The Friars' Ladontae Henton is putting up 21.2 points a game, and he had his best performance of the season in one of the team's biggest wins. He poured in 38 when Providence downed Notre Dame in December, a non-conference result that can only help come seeding time.

Days until Selection Sunday: 45.