Game Preview: No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Maryland Terrapins

Here's a preview for tonight's Big Ten showdown between the Buckeyes and the Terrapins as Ohio State looks for a fifth straight win.

Ohio State heads to Maryland on Monday night to put it's 4-game win streak on the line as they prepare to play the Terrapins for the first time in 2021. And while this is an extremely proud Maryland program, Mark Turgeon's has not achieved at nearly the same level they did last season.

That's the nature of college basketball though - when you have elite talent, eventually they are going to graduate or enter the NBA draft. Without Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith (drafted 10th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2020 NBA Draft), the Terps just haven't been able to win consistently this season. But don't let that fool you; they've won a number of really tough games and should be a formidable challenge for the Buckeyes.

Location: College Park, Maryland
Game Time: 9 p.m.
TV Coverage: FS1
Radio Coverage: 97.1 The Fan

The Scarlet and Gray (15-4, 9-4 Big Ten) have ripped off wins in seven of its last eight games now, including a win over Iowa last Thursday night in what has perhaps been the best college basketball game in the country this season. That victory marked Ohio State's fifth win of 2021 against a top-15 opponent, and a school-record fourth such win on the road. Because of their stellar play lately, the Buckeyes are now ranked No. 4 in the country - this is the latest in the season they've been ranked in the top-5 nationally since they last went to the Final Four in 2012.

Meanwhile, Maryland (10-9, 4-8 Big Ten) sits in 11th place in the Big Ten standings. That simple fact might make you think this is a trap game for the Buckeyes, but I don't think Ohio State will fall into one. Maryland may only have four wins in league play, but they've beaten Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois and Minnesota. Three of Ohio State's four losses have come to the Boilermakers and Golden Gophers, and Wisconsin and Illinois are absolutely top-25 teams in the country.

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This is the only meeting in the regular season for the Buckeyes and Terrapins. Chris Holtmann’s teams are 2-3 vs. Maryland. The Terrapins lead the overall series 9-7. Maryland is 6-1 in College Park and 4-0 at the XFINITY Center against the Buckeyes all-time. Last time the Buckeyes played Maryland, they came away with a 79-72 win over the then No. 7 ranked Terrapins, but that victory also snapped a 7-game losing streak in the series. In fact, tonight's meeting is the first time the two teams have ever played a game in which Maryland is not nationally ranked.

Ohio State Overview

After cruising through the month of January, Ohio State opened February with a fabulous win at Iowa. The Buckeyes used a well-balanced effort to beat the Hawkeyes, as E.J. Liddell, Duane Washington Jr. and Kyle Young all scored 16 points. Justice Sueing had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Justin Ahrens hit three clutch 3-pointers in the final five minutes of regulation to help ice the win.

In many ways, that game was a microcosm of how things have gone for Ohio State this season. They haven't had an elite, All-American player that leads the way. This is a group that is tough as nails on both ends of the floor and they've typically come up with enough big shots to win games. 

Ohio State has won now six consecutive games vs. top-10 teams dating back to last year. Their five wins against nationally ranked top-25 teams this year is more than any other program in the nation. Despite a few frustrating losses this year, Chris Holtmann's team has more quadrant 1 wins than any team in college basketball. If the NCAA Tournament were to start today, a few national outlets project that Ohio State would be a No. 1 seed. 

Considering where this team started back around Thanksgiving, I don't think anyone expected this type of performance out of the Buckeyes.

Maryland Overview

Even though their record isn't what you'd expect from a typical Maryland team, the Terrapins have played a very difficult schedule. Tonight marks their 14th quadrant 1 game of the season - the most of any team in Division I college basketball (Ohio State has played the second most, tonight being their 12th such game). After tonight's game, the Terps' schedule appears to soften considerably: they don't have a single opponent in their final six scheduled games that is currently ranked.

Maryland has been unable to get on any kind of run this year and at the moment, it appears the Terrapins are going to need a run through the Big Ten tournament in order to play in the national tournament. They've traded wins and loses in conference play every game dating back to January 7 against Iowa.

It hasn't been all bad though. For the first time in program history, Maryland has picked up three road wins against ranked teams, defeating No. 6 Wisconsin (12/28), No. 12 Illinois (1/10) and No. 16 Minnesota (1/23). This year also marked the first time since 2003-04 that Maryland had won multiple road games against ranked teams.

The Terrapins are led by junior guards Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala, as well as sophomore forward Donta Scott. Wiggins is one of the best 3-point shooters in Maryland history, knocking down 143 so far in his career (13th on the all-time list). The Terps also lean on senior guard Darryl Morsell. Since the start of the 2019-2020 season, Maryland is 20-2 when he scores at least 10 points.

Matchup to Watch

Ohio State's E.J. Liddell vs. Maryland’s Donta Scott

This could be a really good matchup on Monday night, as each of the two sophomore forwards has taken a big step forward in their production between their freshmen and sophomore seasons.

• Liddell: 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds as a freshman to 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds as a sophomore (and a lock to be on the All-Big Ten team)
• Scott: 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds as a freshman to 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds as a sophomore

While they are two different types of players, I think they may see a decent bit of each other 1-on-1 on Monday night.

Liddell is heating up lately, scoring at least 20 points in four of his last six games. He's been held under 10 points in only three of the 17 games he's played. Liddell also draws fouls regularly, as he shoots on average 5.8 free throws per game (converting at  77.5 percent clip). While he's showing some range, (he's hit s 3-pointer in five of his last six games), Liddell is proving he can bang around in the paint with players that are significantly bigger than him.

Scott is much more of an outside presence, which is impressive for his size. He set an XFINITY Center record against Michigan on New Year's Eve when he buried all five of his 3-point attempts. He joined Justin Jackson (2017 at Minnesota) as the only Terps player in the Mark Turgeon era to go 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. He's shooting a team-high 45.2 percent from deep and scored a season-high 20 points against Rutgers.

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