Maryland men’s basketball bested Binghamton 76-52 for the third and final leg of its first lengthy homestand of the season and is off to a 3-0 start. The Terps have made winning plays on a consistent basis. Maryland’s shooting has lagged behind its standout defense, which has succeeded through coaching and effort to leave opponents despondent by halftime. 

Through their first three games, one thing that stands out about this Maryland team is its massive margins of victory. The Terps have scored at least 71 points against Niagara, Western Carolina and recently, Binghamton while holding their opponents to 33.5% shooting from the field without allowing more than 52 points in a contest.

Maryland’s threes haven’t fallen since its season debut when they shot 9-20 from downtown, and have made 6 out of 39 three-point attempts in the two games that followed. 

Long-range shooting aside, the Terps have been adept at doing whatever is necessary to blow their opponents out as the season gets underway. Three games into the season, their effort on defense looks legitimate and has proven effective. 

The Terps scored the game’s first eight points and found themselves up 16-4 after five and a half minutes, thanks entirely to the Bearcats coughing up six turnovers in that short span. Maryland made Binghamton uncomfortable from the jump, with Hakim Hart and Donta Scott collecting quick steals. 

Rebounding hasn’t necessarily been an area of concern for Maryland, but they held a mere 73-68 rebounding advantage over their first two outings. Their outing against Binghamton saw the Terps get off to a much more inspiring start on the boards, with Julian Reese leading the charge rebounding from the beginning. 

Through the first 20 minutes, Maryland held a 25-12 rebounding advantage with a healthy 44-23 lead. The Terps wrangled in eight offensive boards to that point, with Binghamton still looking for their first.

The second half saw the Terps add to their lead, getting up by as much as 32 points when the score hit 65-33 with nine minutes remaining. As the starters made their leaves, the Maryland reserves took their feet off the gas to level out the rebounding disparity, 42-38, thanks to the Bearcats grabbing 13 offensive boards in the second half alone.

Maryland’s opponents lessening their deficits in the waning minutes was something coach Kevin Willard harped on after the game and has noticed in games past. “We should have had a 34-point win Thursday. We should have had at least a 35-point win today. The last four minutes are just as important as the first four minutes.”

By the game’s end, Donta Scott had nabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Hakim Hart followed that up with eight himself, and Julian Reese added seven more, including four offensive boards, matching Scott in that department.

Maryland’s rebounding was the key to burying Binghamton early, and Maryland’s scoring output was directly related to their discipline on the other end. The Terps scored 19 points off turnovers while holding the Bearcats to 0 all game, displayed in Maryland’s dominant 8-0 steal advantage.

In a brilliant adjustment to counteract their shooting woes, Julian Reese led the charge for the Terps by dominating in the paint. He wasn’t alone; Maryland made a point of attacking the basket in transition, accumulating 48 of their 76 points in the paint, but Reese, in particular, opened things up with his rim-running and finishing. He shot 8-9 on the night, drawing nine fouls en route to tying a career-high 19 points, a record set one game prior.

Maryland has taken their first three matchups of the 2022-2023 season by an average point differential of 22, and this can be attributed to the work the team has put forth as a unit. Moving forward, Maryland’s shooting percentage from downtown remains the wildcard.