Maryland men’s basketball’s offense comes up short in 56-53 loss to Rutgers

The issues that have plagued Maryland men’s basketball’s offense all year were as apparent as ever on Tuesday against the third-ranked defense in the country, according to KenPom’s adjusted efficiency.

The Terps (13-10, 5-7 Big Ten) shot 32 percent from the field, 11 percent from three-point range, and committed 15 turnovers as they fell to Rutgers (12-10, 4-7 Big Ten), 56-53, in College Park.

Maryland didn’t need to be great on offense to come away with a win on Tuesday – its defense has been strong all season and Rutgers holds the lowest scoring offense in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights shot just 39 percent from the field and 23 percent from beyond the arc to go with 15 turnovers of their own – and those numbers resulted in a road win.

“It’s frustrating,” Kevin Willard said of the offensive struggles. “We’ve got the sixth-best defense in the country and after tonight, who knows where we rank offensively.”

Jahmir Young, who often has been the only source of offense for Maryland, struggled on Tuesday. The fifth-year guard shot just 3-for-17 from the field and turned the ball over five times.

Young had the look of a player with tired legs, which isn’t surprising given how much Maryland asks of him. He left a handful of quality looks inside short – shots that he typically makes. Tuesday’s game was the 12th straight in which Young logged at least 33 minutes. 

“It’s tough … with [Clifford Omoruyi] at the rim and how athletic he is,” Young said. “They were just heavy in the gaps … they just have really talented defenders and they did a good job on me tonight.”

Despite his tough night, Young became the third-fastest player in Maryland history (56 games) to reach 1,000 career points as a Terp — a feat that is overshadowed by a demoralizing loss.

Julian Reese never found a rhythm in Saturday’s loss at Michigan State, with foul trouble limiting the big man to just 14 minutes. Reese bounced back on Tuesday, posting 19 points and 12 rebounds. But the junior shot 3-for-9 at the free-throw line, his misses proving costly in a game that came down to the final buzzer.

Maryland trailed by nine with under three minutes remaining, but after a quick 8-0 run, it was potentially a stop and a score away from completing a dramatic comeback.

The Terps didn’t get the stop they needed, however. Jeremiah Williams got to the rim and laid the ball in the basket just before the shot clock expired to push Rutgers’ lead to three with 34 seconds remaining. 

“Jeremiah Williams totally changes their team,” Willard said. “That’s a different basketball team from the first 19 games because they didn’t have [Williams].”

Williams scored 14 points in just his second game of the season and connected on both of his looks from beyond the arc.

Maryland had a chance to force overtime in the final seconds. After Rutgers denied Young the ball, Donta Scott hoisted a deep, contested three-pointer that drew iron and Rutgers secured the rebound as time expired. 

“We were going to try for a quick two on a backdoor [cut],” Willard said. “Jahmir saw a zone so he kind of broke it off and then they did a good job trapping him.”

Falling just short in the final seconds has become a familiar sight for Maryland, who is now 1-6 in games decided by one possession.

Only three Terps scored more than two points, as Willard continues to struggle to find production outside of Young, Reese, and Scott. Maryland’s bench did not convert a field goal for a second straight game. It’s been a harsh trip back to reality after the 25-point outburst from the Terps’ second unit in the Jan. 27 win over Nebraska – the Terps are averaging just 7.8 bench points per game in conference play.

With Rutgers sitting 104th in the NET, this stands as a Quadrant 3 loss for the Terps – their third of the season of that variety, and their first loss outside of Quadrant 2 since November.

Maryland already needed a very strong finish to the season to put itself in position to hear its name called on Selection Sunday. But after dropping one of the most winnable remaining games on their schedule, the Terps’ chances of getting back to the NCAA Tournament are now on life support.