Saturday was the Terps’ fifth-worst loss in program history.
Maryland men’s basketball fans are sure to remember the Terps’ last matchup with Michigan State well — whether they want to or not. A hard-fought 40 minutes ended with a half-court buzzer beater by Tre Holloman to stun the then-No. 16 Terps.
But Maryland is not anywhere near the team it was last March. This year’s matchup was just as memorable, but for all the wrong reasons.
The No. 10 Spartans’ eighth-ranked scoring defense absolutely smothered Maryland — it took 9:58 for the Terps to reach double-digit points. Michigan State led, 24-4, just under eight minutes into the game.
In the end, the scoreboard read 91-48 in favor of the Spartans. Forty-three points is the fifth-largest loss in Maryland history and the program’s biggest loss since 2009.
It’s a new low point in a season that’s already been one of the Terps’ worst in decades. For the first time this season, they did not hold a lead for a single second Saturday afternoon.
Maryland shot 33.3% from the field and 23.1% from 3-point range. That’s the fourth- and fifth-worst marks, respectively, of its season. Elijah Saunders was the only Terp with more than three attempts to make over 40% of them — he finished with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field.
Part of that was due to the Spartans’ defensive excellence. That’s not to be discounted. But defensive excellence didn’t cause a litany of open looks by Maryland to clank off the front of the rim.
Eleven turnovers certainly didn’t help either.
And that’s just on the offensive end. Older Spartans fans would be forgiven if Jeremy Fears Jr. running the court reminded them of another Michigan State point guard who went by the nickname Magic.
Fears is one of the best playmakers in college basketball, but he’s not a game-breaking superstar by any means. Maryland made him look like one. The redshirt sophomore finished with 17 assists — tied for the second-most in program history — alongside 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Eight Spartans finished with at least seven points. The team shot a season-high 60.7% from the field, including a 9-of-19 showing from beyond the arc.
The only time Maryland showed anything resembling resistance was an 11-2 run midway through the first half.Diggy Coit had six of those points, including a crafty finish under the rim and a fadeaway jumper from near the baseline. But that wasn’t even enough to bring Michigan State’s lead to single digits.
Coit finished with 11 points and zero in the second half as the Spartans ran circles around their opponent.
Losing by 22 points with 16:11 left in the second half is an embarrassing outcome. It was also the high point of Maryland’s second half. From that point, it didn’t score a basket for five game minutes as Michigan State embarked on a 15-0 run consisting of five field goals, two free throws and one miss.
Maryland was 0-of-6 with two ugly turnovers in that stretch.
Missing Pharrel Payne hurts. Collin Metcalf is nowhere near a Big Ten-caliber center, and the smorgasbord of other bodies trying to fill in at the five is simply not good enough. But Payne wouldn’t have made more than a dent in Saturday’s loss.
The Terps have seven days to recalibrate. Then they’re onto an even more daunting opponent: No. 4 Purdue.
With 11 more games on the regular season docket, head coach Buzz Williams’ most pressing task is weathering the storm well enough to convince his best players to stick around for a 2026-27 season that shows much more promise.
Winning games is part of that effort, but it’s fair to assume Maryland doesn’t have much more of that in store this season. There’s nothing Williams or anyone else could do to turn around this season in a meaningful way, especially without Payne — who may elect to take a medical redshirt.
Three things to know
1. Minute distribution. Williams emptied out his bench much earlier and frequently than he has for much of the Big Ten slate. Eleven players saw the court in the first half, including Metcalf and Guillermo Del Pino. Aleks Alston was a rotation feature for a second straight game, logging 14 minutes and eight first-half minutes.
None of them could do anything to stop the Spartan tsunami.
2. Rebounding. When Solomon Washington isn’t at his best, Maryland is going to be routinely outmatched on the boards. That was especially true against Michigan State. Washington finished with a team-high six rebounds as the Terps were outrebounded, 35-24, despite both teams recording nine offensive boards.
3. Road trip is over. Students will be back from winter break for the Terps’ next game, a return to Xfinity Center against No. 4 Purdue. The Boilermakers will certainly be a fan draw, but it’s fair to question how much the student body of College Park will show up for a team that’s one Diggy Coit 40-piece away from being winless in Big Ten play.
Category: General Sports
