Fresh off an upset loss at Wisconsin, Ohio State looks to bounce back as they hit the road for a tough matchup against the Maryland Terrapins.
2020 is shaping up to be the year of parity in college basketball and the Big Ten is no exception. Up to a dozen teams enter conference play in the Big Ten with legitimate hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament, and two of the league’s elites are set to take the floor tonight as Ohio State hits the road to take on Maryland.
The Buckeyes were one of the stories of the non-conference season, scoring wins over North Carolina, Villanova, and Kentucky, but they enter this game in a bit of a slump. After dropping their final non-conference game against West Virginia, the Buckeyes went to Madison and were upset by the Badgers, falling 61-54 to fall to 1-2 in Big Ten play.
Ohio State looks to snap its skid with a win over Maryland in College Park, which is never easy. The Terrapins have taken care of business this season, racing to a 12-2 start that includes a 2-1 start in conference play.
The last time Maryland took the floor they took came away with an easy win over Indiana, topping the Hoosiers 75-59 at the XFINITY Center. Four different Terrapins scored in double-figures in the win, led by sophomore forward Jalen Smith, who poured in 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
Both teams are stout defensive units, with Ohio State’s defense ranking inside the top 10 in the country, allowing just 58.4 points per game. Maryland’s unit yields 61.8 points a night, which means we could be in line for a tight contest this evening.
The key for Ohio State to bounce back is finding more help for their top scorer, big man Kaleb Wesson. The Buckeyes got 22 out of Wesson in their loss to Wisconsin but scored only 57 total points, meaning the rest of the squad only contributed 35, which isn’t good enough to win against the elite competition Ohio State will face in league play.
An area Maryland could stand to improve on in this game is its 3-point shooting. The Terrapins knockdown just 30.7 percent of their triples as a team, which is below average for a contender.
How to watch Ohio State at Maryland
- Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Location: College Park, MD
- Venue: XFINITY Center
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Odds: The Action Network
- Prediction: Maryland
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