The newly-unranked Ohio State Buckeyes (12-4, 2-3) host the No. 19 Maryland Terrapins (15-3, 6-1) for a 6:31 pm tip-off early Friday evening. The Buckeyes come into this game following a 72-62 loss at Iowa. Maryland, meanwhile, has won six in a row, and comes in off of a 64-60 win against Wisconsin on Monday. The Terps’ lone loss in conference play this season was a 62-60 loss at Purdue.
Opening Tip
Who: Maryland at Ohio State
What: Men’s Basketball
Where: Columbus, OH — Value City Arena
When: 6:30 pm (FS1)
Why: Because the white death is coming on Saturday and you need to get out and grab some bread and milk anyway.
Line: Ohio State -3
The Buckeyes
Big Ten Play Only
All Games
Three-Point Territory
+ Ohio State opponents are shooting 39.7 percent from the fi eld against the Ohio State defense (352-887). Foes are connecting on just 29.4 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (94-320). Both percentages are third in the Big Ten.
+ Justin Ahrens scored a career-high six points in the contest. His two made field goals were 3-pointers, another career-high mark for the freshman. He added a career-high three rebounds. Ahrens played 11 minutes for the Buckeyes, tying his career-high minutes played which he last earned against South Carolina State (11/18/28).
+ The Buckeyes and Terrapins each own six wins in the all-time series history. Ohio State is 4-2 in Columbus with the Terps holding a 4-1 edge in College Park. Ohio State won the only game contested on a neutral court. The Buckeyes ended a four-game losing streak to Maryland a season ago in Columbus with a 91-69 victory. Maryland is 4-3 against the Buckeyes when ranked in the Associated Press poll. C.J. Jackson leads the Buckeyes in games vs. Maryland with a 10.7 points per game scoring average over three meetings.
The Maryland Terrapins
What You Should Know
+ Sophomore Bruno Fernando was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on January 15, becoming the first Maryland men’s basketball player to earn the honor since it was first awarded on a weekly basis in the 2009-10 season. The award comes on the heels of Fernando claiming Big Ten Player of the Week honors Monday. Fernando was sensational in a pair of critical Maryland victories last week, notching two double-doubles and averaging 17.5 points (73% FG), 12 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
+ Anthony Cowan is the first Terrapin to finish with 20+ points in three straight Big Ten regular season games since Maryland joined the conference. He’s the first Terp to finish with a three-game 20+ scoring stretch in conference games since Terrell Stoglin went 28-33-20-27 in four consecutive games from January 28 to February 7 during the 2012 season. The Bowie, Md. native has been clutch in the second half during that stretch, going 7-of-11 from three while scoring 58 of his 72 points in the final 20 minutes. Cowan hit a pivotal 3-pointer with 44 seconds left to push Maryland to a 64-60 win over Wisconsin their last time out on January 14.
+ Maryland is now 5-1 when trailing at halftime this season, including a perfect 4-0 mark when behind at the half of Big Ten games. The five wins when behind at half are the second most during Mark Turgeon’s tenure at Maryland, while the four come-from-behind conference wins are the most-ever for a Terrapin team under Turgeon.
+ Freshman Eric Ayala has risen the ranks of the Big Ten’s three-point field goal percentage list this season, currently third the conference in three point shooting (29-for-62) with a 46.8% clip. After starting 4-for-14 through his first five games, the Wilmington, Del. native had a breakout night from beyond the arc vs. Marshall, hitting 5-of-6 attempts on his way to a career-best 20 points. Ayala has made at least one three-pointer in each of Maryland’s last five victories in Big Ten play.
+ Maryland currently boasts one of the top rebounding teams in the country, ranking first in the Big Ten and third in the nation in rebounding margin (+11.1). Maryland has out-rebounded all but one team so far this season, led by the inside presence of sophomore Bruno Fernando (9.9/g) and freshman Jalen Smith (7.1/g) – who both rank inside the top-12 in the B1G in rebounds per game. Both have been particularly effective on the offensive glass, with Fernando and Smith ranking inside the top-seven in the Big Ten averaging nearly 6.0 per game combined.
