Maryland men’s basketball fans will certainly remember the Terps’ final game against Michigan State — whether they wanted to or not. Tre Holloman’s buzzer-beater at halftime stunned the then-No. 1 player in the world to end a 40-minute contest. 16 Terp.
But Maryland is a far cry from the team it was last March. This year’s game was equally memorable, but for all the wrong reasons.
advertise
The No. 10 Spartans’ eighth-ranked scoring defense absolutely suffocated Maryland — it took the Terps 9:58 to reach double-digit scoring. Less than eight minutes into the game, Michigan State led 24-4.
In the end, the score was 91-48 and the Spartans won. The 43-point loss was the fifth-largest loss in Maryland history and the program’s largest loss since 2009.
It’s a new low for a season that was already one of the Terps’ worst in decades. For the first time this season, they didn’t hold on to their lead heading into the second Saturday afternoon.
Maryland shot 33.3% from the field and 23.1% from three-point range. Those were the fourth and fifth-worst results of the season, respectively. Elijah Sanders was the only Terp player to take more than three shots and shoot better than 40%. He made 5 of 11 shots and scored a team-high 13 points.
advertise
Part of that was due to the Spartans’ stellar defense. This cannot be underestimated. But the stellar defense didn’t allow Maryland to get away with a string of open shots at the rim.
Eleven turnovers certainly didn’t help.
And that’s just on the offensive end. Old-time Spartans fans would be forgiven if Jeremy Fears Jr. reminded them of another Michigan State point guard nicknamed “Magic.”
Fiers 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 had 17 assists (tied for second-most in program history) while scoring 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
advertise
Eight Spartans finished with at least seven points. The team shot a season-high 60.7% from the field, including 9 of 19 from beyond the arc.
The only time Maryland showed similar resistance was during an 11-2 run midway through the first half. Deegie Coit scored six of those points, including a nifty shot at the rim and a fadeaway jumper from near the baseline. But it wasn’t enough to push MSU’s lead into single digits.
Coit scored 11 of 0 points in the second half as the Spartans circled their opponents.
Losing by 22 points with 16 minutes and 11 seconds left in the second half was an embarrassing result. It was also the highlight of Maryland’s second half. From that point on, MSU went without a field goal in five minutes of regulation and went on a 15-0 run that included five field goals, two free throws and one turnover.
advertise
Maryland went 0-for-6 from the field in the period and had two bad turnovers.
It hurts to miss Pharrell Payne. Colin Metcalf is nowhere near a center at the Big Ten level, and the hodgepodge of other players trying to fill the five spot simply isn’t good enough. But Payne didn’t have much of an impact in Saturday’s loss.
The Terps have seven days to realign. Then they met an even more formidable opponent: No. 4 Purdue.
With 11 games left in the regular season, head coach Buzz Williams’ most urgent task is to weather the storm and convince his best players to stay for the 2026-27 season, which will show more promise.
advertise
Winning games is part of that effort, but it’s fair to assume Maryland won’t have more wins this season. Neither Williams nor anyone else can turn the season around in a meaningful way, especially without Payne — who may elect to take a medical redshirt.
Three things to know
1. Minute distribution. Williams cleared the bench much earlier and more frequently than he had for most of his time in the Big Ten. Eleven players took the field in the first half, including Metcalf and Guillermo Del Pino. Alex Alston was in the rotation for the second straight game, playing 14 minutes and eight in the first half.
None of them could stop the Spartan tsunami.
advertise
2. Rebounds. Maryland often gets beat on the board when Solomon Washington isn’t at his best. That was especially true against Michigan State. Washington finished with a team-high six rebounds and the Terps led 35-24, despite both teams having nine offensive rebounds.
3. The road trip is over. The students will be back from winter break for the Terps’ next game, back at the Xfinity Center against No. 4 Purdue. The Boilermakers will certainly draw fans, but it’s fair to question how much the University Park student body will perform for a team that’s just 40 points away from going winless in Big Ten play.