No. 21 Maryland (20-9, 11-7) vs. Ohio State (12-17, 4-14)
When: Wednesday, March 1
Where: Value City Arena
TV: BTN – Brandon Gaudin (pxp), Robbie Hummel (analyst)
Radio: WJZ-FM 105.7 (Baltimore), The TEAM 980 AM (D.C.)
Spread: Maryland -2
The home schedule for No.21 Maryland basketball is complete, and the Terps couldn’t be beaten in Big Ten play. First-year head coach Kevin Willard led the Terps to a 10-0 record in the Xfinity Center and 16-1 overall with the 75-59 victory over the now-unranked Northwestern Wildcats.
Willard credited the student section and the home fans for making Xfinity Center a tough place to play.
“To go 10-0 in this conference at home is, that’s pretty impressive for this group. I just think it shows you how great of a program this is, and how great of a fan base it is. I think the fan base really got behind this group,” Willard said about the fan support. “I think they appreciated how hard they worked, and how hard they play. The students have really turned out and made this place. I mean, to be honest, I just sit back every once in a while and just watch because it’s a fun place to play and a fun place to watch a game.”
Maryland basketball has to beat both Ohio State and Penn State to secure the No.2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. These are the two most important road games of the season to this point.
Ohio State had the floor fall from underneath them this season due to Zed Key’s shoulder injury. You could really tell the shoulder was hurting him in the Iowa game after he took multiple hits to the area. He was shut down for the rest of the season last week, and shoulder surgery is going to happen.
Before beating the Illinois Fighting Illini 72-60, the Buckeyes lost nine straight games. In that win, Guard Bruce Thornton scored a game-high 20 points and five rebounds, while forwards Justice Sueing and Brice Sensabaugh combined for 28 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
Maryland will be able to take advantage of Key’s absence again, as they did in the first meeting. Sensabaugh, Sueing, and Thornton will be the main sources of offense for the Buckeyes.
Jahmir Young went off for 30 points and 12 rebounds against the Buckeyes in January. They’ll make sure that doesn’t happen in Value City Arena. He’ll still get his numbers and make opportunities for others.
Maryland has a lot of momentum heading into the postseason. Who knows? They could be a dark horse to win the Big Ten Tournament. First, they have to deal with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are looking to spoil the fun.
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