Preview: Maryland men’s basketball opens conference play, hosting Ohio State

Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

Maryland men’s basketball (7-1) has dominantly started the season. The Terps are tied for 13th in the nation in total points scored, but tied for fourth amongst teams in the Power Six Conferences with 694 points. On defense, they’ve allowed an average of 58.6 points per game, ranked ninth in the nation. Their efforts earned them votes in the AP poll and a No. 23 ranking in the first NCAA’s Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings of the year, released on Monday.

Despite this strong start, the Terps haven’t faced much high-level competition. Six of the first eight games the Terps played were against Quad 4 opponents. The quads are a hierarchy structure within the NET rankings, developed by analyzing a team’s winning percentage, their opponent’s winning percentage, and their opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage. Only three teams in college basketball have played more Quad 4 opponents than the Terps. 

Outside of No. 5 Marquette, whom the Terps lost by four, they’ve only played one other Power Six team, the Villanova Wildcats. While it was an impressive come-from-behind win for the Terps against a historically great program, it’s a relatively down year for the Wildcats, who currently rank second to last in the Big East.

According to head coach Kevin Willard, the Terps were originally slated to play Villanova in the Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden, along with Missouri (7-1) and Virginia (5-2). However, because of the New York Knicks’ NBA Cup schedule, the event was moved to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Missouri and Virginia backed out, leaving the Terps with little experience against competitive programs. 

Now, a conference foe is heading to College Park, donned in scarlet and grey. The Terps hope they can overcome that aforementioned lack of experience as they open Big Ten Play on Wednesday night, welcoming the Ohio State Buckeyes (5-2). 

The Buckeyes, who were ranked No. 21 in the nation a few weeks ago, have played a significantly tougher schedule than the Terps. Their resume includes a victory over then-No. 19 Texas and losses to the current No. 14 Cincinnati and No. 22 Texas A&M. 

However, the Buckeyes have played just two games in the last nine days, while the Terps are set to play their third game in a week. Ohio State’s latest game, a last-second 91-90 overtime loss against Pitt, was last Friday, giving them a two-day head start on the Terps.

“We were hoping for our first Big 10 game to be on a Thursday, not a Wednesday, but we had no other room to squeeze a game in,” said Willard. 

Ohio State ranked No. 11 in the NET, has shot over 50% in each of its last four games. The Buckeyes lead the Big 10 in effective field goal percentage (60.6%) and three-point percentage (44.8%). Both of those rank in the top 10 nationally. On defense, the Buckeyes also rank in the top 10 nationally in average field goal percentage allowed (35.8%).

Junior guard Bruce Thornton ranks third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, gathering 46 assists to just seven turnovers all year. Sophomore forward Devin Royal has shot over 70% from the floor in the last four games. The team has scored 10 or more three-pointers in five of their first seven games. If the Terps want a shot at winning, they’ll need to act like glue on the perimeter.

Despite all the factors working against the Terps, they are confident and will be backed by what should be a raucous home crowd in the annual white-out game at the Xfinity Center.

“I feel like we can match up with anybody,” guard Deshawn Harris-Smith said. “Whatever the other team can do, we can do just as well, if not, better.”

Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be viewed on the Big Ten Network.