The Maryland men’s basketball team (8-1, 1-0) defeated Ohio State, 83-59, on Dec. 4 in the Big Ten opener for each squad.
Maryland’s emphatic first half — the Terps led, 50-17, at halftime — left Ohio State trying to salvage the second half heading into its game against Rutgers on Dec. 7.
Maryland’s turnaround is similarly quick. The Terps travel to face No. 13 Purdue in Indiana on Dec. 8 at noon. But first, here are three takeaways from Maryland’s victory against the Buckeyes:
Ja’Kobi Gillespie set the tone.
Junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie got the Terps going by knocking down a quick 3-pointer to send the crowd into a frenzy.
“I thought the way Ja’Kobi came out and set the tone, I thought that was a big difference,” head coach Kevin Willard said.
After back-to-back single-digit scoring performances against Bucknell (8 points) and Alcorn (6), Gillespie got back on track against the Buckeyes.
Gillespie finished with 23 points (4 of 8 from three) and four assists. He scored 13 points (3 of 6 from three) in the first half, including this nasty ankle-breaker:
“I wasn’t about to shoot it at first,” Gillespie said, “but then I saw that he had fallen. So I had to shoot it and I knocked it down.”
“I missed it,” Willard said. “I’ll go back and watch it on tape. It seemed like everyone else liked it, so as long as the crowd likes it I’m pretty happy.”
Maryland’s defense took no prisoners.
Maryland’s defense may have consisted of plenty of traps, but the Terps took no prisoners. Willard’s full-court press was effective early on and the Buckeyes had no answer for it. The Terps forced 12 turnovers (18 points off turnovers) and held the Buckeyes to 28 percent (6-for-21) in the first half.
On the other hand, Maryland only had two turnovers in the first half and shot 55.9 percent (19 of 34) to cruise to a 50-17 halftime lead, the program’s largest first-half point differential in a Big Ten game.
Ohio State finished with 17 turnovers and Maryland, 10.
“We’re the [ninth]-ranked defensive team in the country,” Willard said of his team’s adjusted defensive efficiency. “We’ve been kind of doing it all year, but to do it in the conference game was the most important thing.”
Julian Reese and Derik Queen continue to dominate
Big men Julian Reese and Derik Queen have been firing on all cylinders of late. Reese has scored in double figures in his last four games totaling three double-doubles in that span. Reese finished with 10 points (4 of 9 shooting) and seven rebounds.
Queen continues to play more like a veteran than a rookie. The 6-foot-10 big man has scored in double figures in all but one game so far this season. Queen picked up his second double-double of the season against the Buckeyes (17 points and 11 rebounds).
“I don’t think people will figure out what to do with Ju and Derik,” Willard said.
Queen is averaging 16.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game on the young season, looking every bit like one of the top recruits in his class.
“He’s an old-school type player, and that’s probably the best compliment I can give somebody,” Willard said of Queen. “He plays like a 50-year-old man. He sees the game that way. He’s so smart. He doesn’t have to go fast, he doesn’t have to be. He knows where everybody is. He puts everybody in the right position.”
Willard cautioned fans that this season may very well be Queen’s first and last in College Park.
“You’re watching a pro and I’ve been around pros,” Willard added. “You’re just seeing what a pro looks like as a 19-year-old freshman. So it’s not anything special. It’s just he’s a pro.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics