Nobody gave Maryland men’s basketball a chance heading into Saturday’s matchup against No. 2 Michigan. Even head coach Buzz Williams said his team didn’t have an advantage anywhere.
Still, the Terps led by five at halftime and were in position to take down the hottest team in the country.
Maryland’s lead became nine early in the second half. But from then on, Michigan dominated the game, dropping the Terps 101-83 at Xfinity Center.
Here are the takeaways from Maryland’s fifth loss.
Injuries and technical fouls proved costly
Maryland (6-5, 0-2 Big Ten) came into the game shorthanded again. It ruled out guards Isaiah Watts and Guillermo Del Pino, then lost frontcourt starter Pharrel Payne after a Michigan player landed on his knee, and Solomon Washington to two technical fouls.
Payne’s injury came in the first half. Similar to when Payne was injured against Marquette, Maryland seemed to rally around each other. Maryland took a five-point lead into the half as Diggy Coit and Myles Rice traded big shots for the Terps.
The Terps came out of the locker room ready to go — extending its lead to nine points in 72 seconds. Washington then picked up his second technical foul of the night, and the game turned in Michigan’s (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten) favor.
Down four rotational players, Maryland scrambled to put lineups together.
“We played with a five that we didn’t practice with, which makes it hard to get into an offense,” Diggy Coit said. “Two major guys on our team. One being the heart of our team, being one of the best players and bigs in the country. It’s just a lot of guys that are playing together that haven’t done it, playing out of position.”
“We’ve kind of been playing out of position in practice and in games, ” Williams said. “It’s a little bit more glaring against a team as good as Michigan.”
Nothing was working as the Terps’ defense couldn’t stop Michigan’s offensive attack. The Wolverines’ size and shotmaking ability were on full display, as they outscored the Terps 56-33 in the second half.
Maryland’s stellar shooting goes for nothing
Maryland’s offense has had long stretches of stagnant play all season long, but that was not an issue on Saturday.
Despite playing the best defense in the country, according to KenPom, the Terps’ offense looked its best all season. Maryland shot 30-of-61 (49%) from the field and 14-of-27 (52%) from beyond the arc.
Coit led the way with 31 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 8-of-12 from deep. The graduate senior consistently knocked down tough shots to keep Maryland within striking distance. Myles Rice stepped up with.. After being held scoreless in two of his last three games, he scored 15 points with three three-pointers.
“My teammates, especially they’re always encouraging me to stay the course and remember who I am,” Rice said. “We’ve been through a lot, so we prepare for anything that comes our way. But I wouldn’t be able to do it alone.”
In the end, Maryland couldn’t compete with Michigan’s size and depth. The Wolverines reached the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season, but the first time it came in a win by less than 30 points.
Michigan’s depth was the difference
Coit and Rice did their best to help a shorthanded Maryland team compete with Michigan. The Wolverines’ top players were just better.
Leading scorer Yaxel Lendedborg scored a season high 29 points, without scoring in the final 11 minutes. Their 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara’s size was a problem all night. He scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting as the Terps had nobody inside to slow him down. Point guard Elliot Cadeau recorded a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists — more than the entire Maryland team.
Generating good looks from passes has been a struggle all season for the Terps. In games like Saturday night, the team can make up for its lack of playmaking. But that play style is not sustainable. More often than not, it turns out as it did in games like Gonzaga and Iowa, and Maryland never has a chance.
Only the aforementioned Coit and Rice scored in double figures. Darius Adams didn’t show his usual aggressiveness. The freshman scored just 7 points with only 1-of-3 from the free throw line. No other player attempted more than six shots, as the reliance on Coit was apparent.
“They begin to make changes specific to Diggy. Then [Payne] went out and Solo [Washington] also went out,” Williams said. “We are reliant throughout those moments on Diggy. Some of the things that have been causing us the most harm.”
