Signs didn’t point to a defensive masterclass for Maryland men’s basketball ahead of its Big Ten opener against Ohio State on Wednesday.
The Terps allowed more than 75 points to both Villanova and Marquette, their first two high-major opponents, and had no answers for those teams’ best players. The Buckeyes’ top threat, Bruce Thornton, torched Maryland a year ago. The junior guard is surrounded by a crop of elite shooters, which looked like a potential matchup problem against the Terps’ two-big lineup.
But none of that mattered.
Ohio State scored its season-low in an 83-59 loss to Maryland at Xfinity Center. The Terps held the Buckeyes to 17 first-half points, where the visitors had twice as many turnovers as baskets.
Maryland showed its elite defensive upside in the win, jumping up from No. 26 to No. 9 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rating. If coach Kevin Willard’s team can maintain that level of defensive prowess, Terps fans have lots to be excited about.
It took the Buckeyes — who entered the game shooting 44.8 percent from beyond the arc — more than 26 minutes to score their first 3-pointer. They finished the game with only four made threes, shooting 21 percent from outside.
[Maryland men’s basketball annihilates Ohio State in Big Ten opener, 83-59]
Maryland also neutralized Thornton, who came into the night averaging more than 16 points and six assists per game. The Terps held him to arguably his worst game of the season, posting just nine points and two assists.
Willard wanted to limit Thornton to just being a scorer, taking away his ability to impact the game in other ways.
“If he scored 20 against us, we were going to be good with it. You cannot let [Ohio State’s other shooters] shoot threes,” Willard said. “Sometimes it’s not rocket science, it’s just [taking] away a great point guard’s options.”
Ja’Kobi Gillespie took the primary defensive assignment on Thornton. The Belmont transfer hounded him in both the half and full court, often knocking the ball loose and getting around screens with ease.
Willard — who said he thinks Gillespie can be the best guard in the conference — said it was the first time he saw the junior play with an edge. Gillespie outmatched Thornton on both sides of the ball, posting game-highs in points and assists.
[Julian Reese turned his biggest weakness into a potential strength]
“Just making [Thornton] make tough shots, not over-helping and letting him get 10 assists in a night,” Gillespie said. “So just making him shoot those tough twos.”
Willard was complimentary of both Gillespie and sophomore guard Rodney Rice for their defensive efforts. He was particularly happy with how they played in the front line of the Terps’ full court press, which Willard adjusted a few minutes into the game.
In the half court, the coach tasked them with fighting through defenders’ screens, something that hasn’t been typical in Willard’s defenses. The change has also given the Terps’ big men a different role.
“We’re not switching nearly as much as we have in the past two years. We’re doing some weird rotations that I’ve never done because I’ve never had two bigs like this, but [Reese] and [Queen] have really worked well together with the change in our pick and roll coverage.”
Defense was the Terps’ best trait last season — they allowed the fewest points in the Big Ten. Wednesday’s win showed their potential to replicate that, even with a new system.
