Jahmir Young outdueled Boo Buie, but Northwestern men’s basketball earned the upper hand over Maryland.
In a battle of two of the top point guards in the Big Ten, Young, a fifth-year senior, scored a game-high 36 points on 12 of 19 shooting and compiled five assists, two rebounds and two steals. He outplayed Buie, a graduate student who racked up 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
But Young’s go-ahead jumper in the waning seconds was off the mark, and the Terps lost, 72-69, to the host Wildcats on Wednesday night at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois.
“Buie and Jahmir went back and forth,” coach Kevin Willard said. “We gave ourselves a chance with a shot to win it, and that’s all you can ask for on the road against a very good basketball team.”
Young’s performance wasn’t enough to lift Maryland (11-7, 3-4 Big Ten) to what would have been its third straight victory, which would have been the program’s longest such streak in the conference since winning four in a row between Jan. 25 and Feb. 4, 2023.
Any momentum gained from Sunday’s 76-67 upset of then-No. 10 Illinois evaporated. The Terps failed to sweep Illinois and Northwestern in road games in the same season for the first time since 2020 when that squad disposed of the Wildcats, 77-66, on Jan. 21 and the Fighting Illini, 75-66, on Feb. 7.
Maryland also missed out on picking up its third straight victory and eighth in its past 10 meetings with Northwestern (13-4, 4-2), which improved to 3-6 at home against Maryland. The Wildcats have emerged as one of the top teams in the Big Ten and stunned then-No. 1 Purdue, 92-88, in overtime Dec. 1.
With his seven assists, Buie, who racked up 31 points, nine assists, four rebounds and two assists in that upset of the Boilermakers, has amassed 533 assists in his career to pass Michael Thompson (528 assists) for second place in school history. And with two 3-pointers, Buie has connected on 231 all-time 3-pointers to rank fifth behind Drew Crawford (232 3-pointers).
“I’d be hard-pressed to find two better guards than those two guys out there,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins told The Big Ten Network, which aired the matchup. “Heck of a game tonight.”
Here are three observations from Wednesday night’s setback.
The turnover bug continues to pester Maryland
Only three games and 10 days removed from committing a season-worst 17 turnovers in a 65-62 setback at Minnesota, the Terps fell back into a familiar rut.
Maryland gave the ball away 13 times, which the Wildcats converted into 11 points, and junior power forward Julian Reese committed a game-high six turnovers. The Terps have turned the ball over more than 10 times in three of their past four games.
Maryland was especially generous in the first half, giving the ball away 10 times. The team had committed only seven turnovers in Sunday’s victory over Illinois but matched that number with less than nine minutes to go in the first half and exceeded it with its eighth giveaway just before the eight-minute mark.
Ten of the Terps’ turnovers occurred via steals. Northwestern junior shooting guard Brooks Barnhizer registered four swipes in the first half alone and finished with a career-high five for the game.
Maryland has averaged 12.3 turnovers (86 total) in seven Big Ten games thus far. That lack of ball protection doesn’t usually spell success for any team, particularly in a league as competitive as the Big Ten is.
Maryland’s offense needs more horses
The Terps are going to lean on their stars. But they could use some support from others.
Besides Young’s explosion, senior small forward Jordan Geronimo chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, fifth-year senior small forward Donta Scott scored 11 points, and Reese (St. Frances) added 10 points and nine rebounds.
But they were the only four players to put the ball through the hoop for Maryland. Outside of that foursome that connected on 25 of 42 shots (59.5%), freshmen DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser Jr., sophomores Noah Batchelor and Caelum Swanton-Rodger and senior Jahari Long combined for zero points on 0-for-6 shooting from the field and 0-for-2 from the free throw line.
Look, no one expects someone outside of Young, Reese and Scott to suddenly develop into the second coming of Juan Dixon and ignite the offense on a daily basis. But that aforementioned trio needs some assistance if the team expects to regain any relevance in the conversation for Big Ten and NCAA Tournament contention.
Unlike Maryland, Northwestern aided its superstar
Buie demonstrated why he is regarded in many circles as the top point guard in the Big Ten — much to the consternation of those supporting Young’s candidacy. He also showed that he is not a one-man show.
In addition to his four steals, Barnhizer contributed 15 points, four rebounds and three assists for his fourth consecutive game of double-digit scoring. Senior shooting guard Ty Berry chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Senior center Matthew Nicholson collected 10 points and seven rebounds for his first game of double-figure production since scoring 15 points against Northern Illinois on Nov. 27. And graduate student shooting guard Ryan Langborg missed seven of 10 shots but scored eight points and added three rebounds and two steals.
Collins was especially effusive in his praise of Nicholson’s “physical presence.”
“Last year, when he was at his best, he was our unsung hero,” he said. “He was our anchor defensively. He brought our toughness, he protected our basket, and he rebounded. The last three games, he’s really gotten back to that, and that’s the reason why we won tonight.”
That versatility and depth help explain why the Wildcats sit among the top three teams in the Big Ten, while the Terps are wallowing in the bottom half of the league.
Michigan State at Maryland
Sunday, noon
TV: CBS
Radio: 105.7 FM
