COLLEGE PARK — These are not the Terps of a year ago.
That team was a hair-pulling dichotomy with one of the best defenses in the country but a shooting percentage among the worst (299th, to be exact). In their Big Ten Conference opener, a year ago almost to the day, those Terps fell to Indiana by double digits behind a dismal 2-for-16 performance from 3-point range.
This Maryland team, which boat raced Ohio State on Wednesday night, 83-59, can be defensive pests — but it’s the Terps’ offensive output that could keep them in the mix as the season wears on. That was hard to miss against an Ohio State (5-3, 0-1 Big Ten) team touted No. 11 in the latest NET ranking.
Maryland (8-1, 1-0) scored 50 points by halftime, its second most before the break since 2014. And its 33-point halftime lead tied the largest of any Big Ten conference game going back to 1996-97.
The whiteout crowd leaned into every bit of the first-half knockout punch.
“We didn’t rock [the gym] last year,” coach Kevin Willard said, “because when you hit the back of the rim every time, it’s tough to cheer for someone missing shots.”
The statistical difference with this team — albeit not yet 10 games in — is profound.
Consider this: entering Wednesday, Maryland had been averaging 16.1 more points per game (86.8) and given up 4.1 fewer (58.6) than it had this time last year. And, more importantly, the shooting differential? Willard’s group has seen an uptick in shooting percentage from the field (.498), from beyond the arc (.338) and from the free-throw line (.735).
A blonde woman in a knit sweater sitting on the baseline stood up and sprawled her arms after each made basket by the Terps. The show of support ramped up to a leg workout with her having to rise back up early and often.
Maryland men’s basketball vs. Ohio State, Dec. 4, 2024 | PHOTOS
Junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie opened the game with a 3-pointer en route to a game-high 23 points. Three minutes later, Selton Miguel sank a triple. Then Gillespie piled on the next possession for an unfamiliar 3-for-3 start from long range. Perhaps it could be the norm in College Park now.
As a team, the Terps connected on 5 of 13 attempts from 3-point range by halftime before cooling off in the second, finishing 7-for-25. And the Terps shot 46.8% from the field, compared with Ohio State’s 37.9%.
“This is a good Ohio State team,” Willard said. “You’ll take these. You don’t get [conference blowouts] very often so I’m just gonna take it and run.”
Just before the under-4-minute timeout, freshman Derik Queen put his head down and attacked the middle of the floor. A defender caught him. He spun back out looking to pass when the double team arrived, but the freshman kept cool.
Queen spun the opposite direction and planted his back foot into the hardwood. He lifted his right knee and faded into a high jumper — a move well beyond his years, part of a 17-point double-double.
Asked about seeing such a bewildering play from a 19-year-old, junior big man Tafara Gapare said he was shell-shocked. “He’s a really good player,” Gapare laughed.
Added Willard: “You’re just seeing what a pro looks like at 19 years old as a freshman. It’s not anything special, it’s just he’s a pro.”
Queen’s pairing with senior forward Julian Reese opens up the floor for much of their offense. It’s a puzzle solver against defenses looking to control the flow of the game.
Gillespie is surely a catalyst for Maryland’s improved shooting, too. He transferred from Belmont this summer but is only the fourth-leading scorer with the team’s most 3s. Willard thought his performance against Ohio State was the point guard making a statement that he “can be the best guard in this conference.”
Miguel, a South Florida transfer, is another capable scorer. He worked through an early season injury and now is averaging just shy of double figures. Despite Rodney Rice’s worst shooting performance thus far, missing all six of his 3-point tries, the Virginia Tech transfer has made at least two from deep in seven of his first nine games.
What does a win like Wednesday’s say about the trajectory of this group?
“Just come out and make a statement,” Gapare said. “Tell people who we are and what we’re doing this season; trying to do big things.”
Through nine games, the Terps are a top-25 scoring offense in Division I. At 86.3 points per game, they have the fifth-best scoring average in program history. They’ve walked over inferior opponents in three of their past five. But they also went blow for blow with No. 5 Marquette, finished out a narrow win against Villanova and made quick work of Ohio State.
Even Maryland alum and ESPN analyst Scott Van Pelt chimed in on X watching his alma mater route the Buckeyes. He shared a gif of himself, clad in Terps gold, mouthing, “Wow.” That’s how he felt watching the current group.
If Ohio State was the early season conference quiz, Maryland passed with flying colors. The Terps have No. 8 Purdue on the road on Sunday. That’ll be the real Big Ten test.
Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.
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Maryland at No. 8 Purdue
Sunday, noon
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