Maryland men’s basketball extends winning streak to four against No. 17 Wisconsin

Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland Athletics

It was a quiet month in College Park with the student body out of town for winter break. The normally bustling campus felt like a ghost town on most days, with the exception of home basketball games. Still, the typically raucous Xfinity Center felt empty without a majority of its fanbase. 

It reverted to normal on Wednesday night as a sold-out crowd flooded the arena for the annual “Gold Rush” game. On top of a packed student section, Maryland legends, including Scott Van Pelt, Gary Williams and Frances Tiafoe, were in attendance, as well as Maryland football players and recruits. 

Head coach Kevin Willard has been on record saying how much of an impact big crowds have on the game, and tonight was no exception. The boisterous crowd helped Maryland men’s basketball (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten ) reach its second ranked win in the past week, defeating No. 17 Wisconsin (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten) 76-68 on Wednesday night at the Xfinity Center. The win improved Maryland to 3-3 against ranked opponents and moved them into fourth in the Big Ten.  

“When it gets loud, it’s definitely tough for the other team to get going,” sophomore guard Rodney Rice said. “That crowd helps us out a lot.”

The Terps started the game slowly, quickly falling behind after poor shooting from the floor. But defensively, the Terps were strong, consistently forcing Wisconsin to the end of the shot clock. 

But the visitors remained vigilant, converting multiple contested 3-point shots. With a little under four minutes remaining until the half, they were 6-12 from beyond the arc. 

Despite the Terps forcing eight turnovers, the offense couldn’t convert, missing multiple shots in the paint.

“We got a lot of good looks in the first half, we were just either amped up or not amped up enough,” Willard said. 

The Terps struggled to score for most of the first half but found their rhythm in the final minutes. Maryland converted its next three shots from beyond the arc, earning a 32-29 lead with 30 seconds left in the half and its first lead since the 17:21 mark. Riding the support from the deafening crowd, the Terps had the momentum at the half, leading 32-31.

That momentum wouldn’t last long, as Wisconsin opened the second half with an 11-4 scoring run, forcing an early timeout from Willard. 

The timeout steadied the Terps as at the next stoppage of play, Maryland was down 44-43 after a 7-2 scoring run. The Terps carried the momentum coming out of the break as consecutive three-pointers by junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Rice put Maryland up 52-48. The Terps finished 7/11 from long range in the second half.

“We’ve had our rhythm for a couple games now, and we’re just trying to keep that momentum going into the next game,” said Rice. “We know we can put the ball in the basket from outside, we’re confident.”

Rice wouldn’t stop there, driving the ball down the court after a stop on defense and immediately pulling up for another long-range basket, putting the Terps up 57-50. Rice and Gillespie finished the contest tied for Maryland’s leading scorer, each with 16 points, including three from long range apiece. All five of Maryland’s starters finished the night with double-digit points. 

From there, the Terps never trailed again. Senior forward Julian Reese and freshman center Derik Queen took control of the paint, drawing a 3-point play followed by another shooting foul, while Gillespie sank another three-pointer. The frontcourt duo finished with a combined 26 points, as the freshman achieved another double-double with 12 rebounds to go along with three assists, two blocks, and a steal. Reese was just two rebounds shy of his own.  

“The biggest thing was getting through January,” Willard said. “I knew January was going to be hard with the two swing trips. We’re getting a nice week here, a bye week, to just get these guys refreshed mentally going into what you want to be a fun February.”