Losing three of its last four games, Maryland men’s basketball (11-6, 2-4 Big Ten) is looking to get back to its winning ways against Michigan (10-7, 4-2 Big Ten) at home on Thursday, after playing the Wolverines a little over two weeks ago.
The last time these teams met it was in Ann Arbor, when Maryland had arguably its worst performance of the Kevin Willard era. The Wolverines got out to a 17-0 run to start the game and never looked back, as the Terps lost 81-46, the biggest loss that they’ve had all season so far.
Junior center Hunter Dickinson used his 7-foot-1 frame to absolutely dismantle the undersized Maryland frontcourt. He finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks as sophomore forward Julian Reese and graduate student forward Patrick Emilien just could not stop him.
Dickinson is averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game to start this season. Coach Willard talked about his impact and if the Terps will try different ways to defend him on Thursday.
“We need to make major adjustments cause we can’t let him do what he did, but at the same time everyone’s having a really big issue with him,” said WIllard.
Junior guard Terrance Williams II also had a good performance against the Terps. The Maryland native and second-leading rebounder on the Wolverines put up 11 points and five rebounds to help beat Maryland.
Maryland’s offense had a really tough time scoring, especially in the first half. The Terps shot a dismal 4-30 from the field in the first half, and finished shooting 18-68 on the night. Not a single Terp managed to score in double digits, with backup senior guard Jahari Long getting the closest with nine points off the bench.
Last time out against Iowa, Maryland’s defense also struggled against the best scoring offense in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes shot 60% from the field, going 33-55, while also shooting 42.9% from three-point range. While the Terps’ offense wasn’t horrible, shooting 47.5% on the night, it just wasn’t enough to make a difference. They lost 81-67 in Iowa City.
In the lead up to Thursday’s game it looks like the Terps will be a little banged up, as Willard confirmed that Emilien will be out and senior forward Donta Scott will play limited minutes due to battling sickness.
Willard talked about players like freshman forward Caelum Swanton-Rodger and junior forward Pavlo Dziuba needing to step up and play minutes against the Wolverines.
“Cal’s gotta step up and Pav’s gonna have to get some minutes,” Willard added.
The game will take place at XFINITY Center at 7 p.m.
