The Terps open conference play at home.
Maryland men’s basketball is playing its best hoops of the 2024-25 season, and it has come at the perfect time. After starting the season 7-1, the Terps now begin conference play.
Their first Big Ten matchup will take place in College Park, as the Terps host Ohio State Wednesday.
The Buckeyes are off to a 5-2 start, falling only to ranked teams in No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 18 Pittsburgh. The latter of the two losses was by one point in a buzzer-beating defeat. In its other games, Ohio State won handily — over Texas, Youngstown State, Evansville, Campbell and Green Bay.
Wednesday’s contest will begin at 6:30 p.m. and air on Big Ten Network.
Ohio State Buckeyes (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
Head coach Jake Diebler is in his first full season at the helm of the Buckeyes. Prior to being named head coach, he worked various positions with the team, including associated head coach, assistant coach and video coordinator. Last season, in his limited action as interim head coach, he led Ohio State to an 8-3 record and the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament.
Players to watch
Bruce Thornton, junior guard, 6-foot-2, No. 2 — Thornton is Ohio State’s leading scorer and the 12th leading scorer in the Big Ten with 15.2 points per game. Last year, he was named third team All-Big Ten, and led the team in scoring too with 15.7 points per game. He also leads the team in assists per game (6.6) this season.
John Mobley Jr., freshman guard, 6-foot-1, No. 0 — What’s most impressive about Mobley is he also leads the Buckeyes with 15.2 points per game despite coming off the bench in all of their games. The first year was 247Sports’ No. 48 recruit in the class of 2024 and posted a season-high 23 points against Campbell.
Devin Royal, sophomore forward, 6-foot-6, No. 21 — Despite being just 6-foot-6, Royal is a menace on the glass, leading the Buckeyes with 7.4 rebounds per game. That mark is also good for 11th in the conference. Royal is the team’s third leading scorer with 12.4 points per game, and scored 13 points in the team’s NIT win over Cornell last year.
Strength
Field goal percentage. Ohio State is a solid shooting team, ranking second in the conference with a team field goal percentage of 52.2%. They’re also the best 3-point shooting team in the conference in terms of percentage at a staggering 44.8%. That’s more than two percentage points above the next best team.
Weakness
Fouling. Ohio State is aggressive, and it shows on the stat sheet. The Buckeyes lead the conference with 19.1 infractions per game. It will be interesting to see if Maryland can take advantage.
Three things to watch
1. Can the Terps dominate the paint? With Ohio State being such a foul-prone team, as well as its leading rebounder standing at just 6-foot-6, head coach Kevin Willard may focus on paint play. Julian Reese and Derik Queen are poised to have favorable matchups, and both will likely be expected to make a number of free throws Wednesday.
2. Can DeShawn Harris-Smith continue his solid play? The sophomore posted 10 points, three rebounds and five assists in the Terps’ win over Alcorn State Sunday. As the first player off the bench, it will be worth seeing if he can continue to be the primary ball handling and scoring option on the second unit.
3. Guarding the 3-point line. With the Buckeyes being as proficient as they are from distance, it will be important for Willard’s group to hone in on its perimeter defense. Potentially, this could result in either Reese or Queen being needed to assist on the outside, as three of Ohio State’s players rank top 10 in the conference in 3-pointers made per game.