Maryland men’s basketball’s struggles continue in 82-62 loss to Ohio State

Photo by Kevin Snyder/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

The slope continues to get steeper for Maryland men’s basketball. 

Maryland fell to Ohio State 82-62 on Thursday night at the Xfinity Center in College Park. The Terps’ 10th Big Ten loss marks the fifth time in the past nine seasons that the program has suffered double-digit conference losses.

“I completely understand the expectations of the program, of all programs at this level,” head coach Buzz Williams said. “I’ve got to continue to find ways to do better. When you’re 1-10, anything you say comes across as an excuse. I never want to justify losing in any sort of way.” 

Prior to Thursday’s matchup, the two teams were knotted at 12 games in all-time head-to-head contests. But Maryland (8-14, 1-10 Big Ten) held an advantage at the Xfinity Center, boasting a 7-1 record on home court against Ohio State (15-7, 7-5 Big Ten). The Terps’ sole loss came in 2021, when the only spectators were cardboard cutouts. 

Maryland started the game with momentum. Its ball movement and effort on the glass in the first few minutes were noticeably better than in prior games. Freshman guard Andre Mills scored the first points of the game, collecting the rebound from his own 3-point miss and driving for a contested layup. 

With 7:52 remaining in the first half, the Terps were down by 12. But they quickly went on a run, cutting the lead to four, highlighted by a coast-to-coast trip by Mills, who made the home crowd erupt with an emphatic dunk on 7’2 center Ivan Njegovan.

But as quickly as Maryland went on a run, Ohio State regained a double-digit lead with a run of its own and took a 42-30 lead heading into halftime. 

“I’m more concerned about the effort,” forward Solomon Washington said. “We always get discouraged anytime a team goes on a run. We gotta stop that.”

The Terps’ undoing was once again their turnovers, coupled with poor three-point shooting. Maryland entered the locker room with nine turnovers, while converting just two of ten shots from three. The second half was not much better, as the Terps finished with 16 turnovers and shot just under 31 percent from three.

“I thought our guys competed when the ball was on the ground at a really high level,” Williams said. “The problem was that we allowed them twice as many free throws, and we had twice as many turnovers. That was the difference.”

Things quickly fell apart in the second half. The Terps had two lengthy scoring droughts, each lasting at least two and a half minutes. The Buckeyes capitalized, growing their lead to 22 with 8:54 remaining in the game.

The Buckeye effort was spearheaded by senior center Christoph Tilly and senior guard Bruce Thornton Jr., who finished with 19 and 17 points, respectively. Tilley, a transfer from Santa Clara, played only 27 minutes after committing his fourth foul with 4:51 remaining, while Thornton Jr., the Big Ten’s leader in minutes played, finished the game shooting a team-best 77.7 percent. 

Despite Maryland out-rebounding Ohio State, the Buckeyes still finished with more second-chance points, notching 16 to Maryland’s 12. 

“We need better toughness,” Washington said. “Rebounding’s not a skill, it’s about effort. The toughest team gets the most rebounds.”

The lone bright spot for the Terps was senior forward Elijah Saunders, netting 20 points. Thursday’s game marked the fourth time this season Saunders led the Terps in points. 

With no more back-to-back home games remaining for the Terps, the final stretch for the Terps will be difficult. The Terps are currently on pace for their worst record since the 1988-89 season, the year before Gary Williams took the helm.