The Terps are now 0-3 in Big Ten play.
As calendars turned to 2026, Maryland men’s basketball had the opportunity to put out a new product. Its true Big Ten slate began against an Oregon team that entered the new year with the same 7-6 record as Maryland.
And while Maryland did largely play the same game, with its hallmark scoring droughts easily apparent, Solomon Washington treated the Xfinity Center crowd to something new.
Facing one of the toughest frontcourt tests of the year, Washington went solo, slicing through double-teams and elevating through the forest for a career-high 17 points. His defensive efforts were even better — the senior was a relentless pest for 38 minutes, making things difficult for the Ducks.
Washington’s career night helped keep the Terps afloat, but it couldn’t sway the game’s resolution. Maryland fell to Oregon in a 64-54 defeat that will remind head coach Buzz Williams just how far his team has to go.
Oregon’s ability to hurt the Terps inside and out was evident from the very beginning.
The game started with a four-point play for Oregon’s guard Wei Lin, who was elevated to the starting lineup in the absence of star guard Jackson Shelstad, when Isaiah Watts bit too hard after chasing around a pick.
Forward Kwame Evans then bullied the Terps inside to make the score 6-0 a minute in. While the Baltimore native suffered an ankle injury before Christmas that left him questionable entering the game, it wasn’t evident watching him move — he antagonized Maryland’s defense for 32 minutes and finished with a team-high eight rebounds.
Watts made amends, giving Maryland a brief lead at 7-6 with a deep transition 3-pointer. But no Terp could match the efficiency of Oregon center Nate Bittle.
The senior center entered the game with 54 points over his last two contests, and he was absolutely unstoppable in spurts.
Against the Terps, he scored nine first-half points on 4-of-5 shooting — including an audacious 3-pointer — and contributed five rebounds.
Maryland’s usual scorers were nowhere to be found. It opened the game shooting 4-of-21 as a team — the only reason the game stayed competitive early was because of seven first-half turnovers from Oregon.
While Maryland missed 10 consecutive field goals, the Ducks feasted by working their bigs up to the perimeter before cutting back to the hoop. The Terps got caught in those micro-transitions and were unable to negotiate the switches successfully.
Even when Maryland landed its punches, defensive mistakes punched back. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Washington and Coit cut the deficit to three points, but were immediately followed by a goaltend from Washington.
The defense eventually picked up, with Myles Rice leading some hounding defense to end the half. He forced an on-ball turnover, and Oregon was unable to get set offensively.
It was a necessary effort — the Terps were wholly outshot and outrebounded. It was a near-miracle that they only trailed by seven points at halftime.
But Maryland took advantage of the opportunity. It kept pace with Oregon in the second half due to the efforts of Washington and Darius Adams, who combined for the Terps’ first 11 points of the back frame.
Adams had an off night overall, with the big Ducks negating his rim-crashing ability, yet he scored five of his nine total points there. Those contributions were crucial.
While Oregon’s Takai Simpson attempted to turn up the heat, Maryland was game. And after the under-12 timeout, Elijah Saunders found daylight alongside the benches and stroked a 3-pointer to complete the gritty comeback and tie the game at 43.
From that point, though, the Terps lost their touch. Maryland went without a point for nearly five minutes, and the Ducks were able to stretch the lead wide enough to nullify a late push from the Terps.
That scoreless streak decided the game — which Maryland had little business being in. But it was a prime opportunity to prove Williams’ assertion the team would win games they shouldn’t later in the season. Maryland squandered it.
Three things to know
1. Maryland played a clean game. The Terps only committed three turnovers in the first half and 10 overall, a drastic improvement from earlier in the season. Maryland also seemed to cut down on the unnecessary fouls — much of what they gave up seemed like smart plays that wouldn’t have made Williams too disappointed. Improved decision-making is a critical step for the Terps to take.
2. Ugly, ugly basketball. While Maryland and Oregon only played their first game in 2026, Friday’s contest looked to be straight out of the ‘70s. The two teams combined for 12-of-51 shooting from 3-point range, with Maryland finishing 20% from behind the arc. Unfortunately, not much of what happened inside it was of a higher quality.
3. The backcourt went missing. Maryland went up against one of the Big Ten’s premier interiors in Bittle and Evans without its most dominant big. But the frontcourt was not even the biggest area of concern for the Terps.
In Pharrel Payne’s absence, and even with his presence, someone else needs to score. Adams, Andre Mills and Diggy Coit shot a combined 6-of-34. Myles Rice was the second-most efficient guard for Maryland, and he made one of three shots. The Big Ten’s 15th-highest scoring team down their second highest-scoring player beat Maryland by double digits. The Terps need to find offense, fast.
Category: General Sports
