Preview: Maryland men’s basketball prepares for conference matchup against Michigan

Maryland men’s basketball (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) looks to begin the new calendar year with a win on New Year’s Day when the Terps face Michigan (7-5, 1-0 Big Ten) in Ann Arbor. 

The Terps defeated UMBC 80-64 in their last outing, ending the year on a high note as they shift strictly towards conference matchups. Although for the majority of the game Maryland sustained a narrow lead, the Terps exploded in the final minutes.

“That’s a good basketball team,” coach Kevin Willard said. “It wasn’t going to be a blowout because they’re older guys and pass the ball, they shoot the basketball well. Once we made a shot I think it relaxed everybody else.”

Maryland scored 12 points in the final two-and-a-half minutes and opened up its lead by 20 points in the final seconds. Senior guard Don Carey was responsible for eight of Maryland’s final 12 points, giving him a Maryland career-high 19 points on 5-7 shooting from three. 

“Definitely can build off of this momentum, but you know, we’re more happy that we just played together and really gritted out that game,” Carey said. “Offensively as a team we didn’t really succeed but we gutted it out on the defensive end.”

As a team, the Terps shot 1-14 from three and only led by three at the end of the first half. The Terps flipped the script in the second half, shooting 5-10 from deep.

Defensively, the Terps had their struggles in the first half, getting off to a slow start and going down by six points. Midway through the second half, the Terps tightened up and forced several scoreless possessions in a row.

“Doing those things can lead to transition buckets, other guys getting going, just give us overall good energy for the bench, everywhere on the court,” sophomore forward Julian Reese said.

Maryland is 10-0 this season when leading at halftime and has won 15 consecutive games when leading at the half. 

Graduate student guard Jahmir Young recorded 18 points in the win, and became the 12th active NCAA player to eclipse 1,300 career points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. 

Senior forward Donta Scott’s 11 points and nine rebounds moved him further up Maryland records, now 51st all-time in points scored (1,098) and 33rd all-time in rebounds (575).

The Terps have excelled on the perimeter defensively all season, limiting their opponents to a 38.9% shooting percentage, which ranks 25th among Division One schools. Maryland has held its opponent under 40% from the field in eight games this season, and the Terps are 6-2 in such contests. 

However, the Terps have struggled with passing and offensive rebounding. As a team, their 148 assists on the season ranks 318th in the nation in terms of passing. Maryland also surrenders 9.8 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks 297th among Division One schools. 

After a 6-1 start the season, Michigan has struggled as of late, dropping four of six games since Nov. 29. During that stretch, the Wolverines lost every game by a margin of four points or less. Most recently, Michigan dropped a game at home to Central Michigan by just two points.

An area of struggle for the Wolverines this season is their bench production. Over their last two games, the Wolverines have averaged just 6.5 bench points.

Despite its struggles, Michigan is relatively efficient on the offensive end, ranking 32nd among Division One schools in adjusted offensive efficiency, per Kenpom. 

Junior center Hunter Dickinson is a skilled big man for the Wolverines, leading them in points (17.8), rebounds (8.2) and blocks (1.8) per game. The seven-foot-one center is skilled at scoring around the rim and can hit the occasional open three. Dickinson’s size makes him a double-double threat on any given night, and he has accomplished that feat in three games this year. 

Dickinson has been the most efficient scorer for Michigan, with a shooting percentage of 54.6%, but has struggled recently. Over the past two games, Dickinson has shot just 33.3% from the field.

Another key player for the Wolverines is freshman guard Jett Howard, the son of coach Juwan Howard. Howard is second on the team in points per game (15.3) and has scored 12 or more points in all but one game this season. 

Another difference maker for the Wolverines is sophomore Kobe Bufkin. The guard ranks third on the team in scoring (12.7 points per game), but is the team-leader in steals per game (1.3). Bufkin has gotten hot as of late, averaging 18.8 points over his last four outings. 

Since entering the Big Ten during the 2014-15 season, Maryland is 4-9 all-time against Michigan. The schools last met Jan. 18 when Michigan came away victorious, 83-64.

The game will tip-off at 4:30 p.m. and will take place at the Crisler Center.