ANN ARBOR, MI – No. 13 Maryland men's basketball continued its recent success on the road, defeating No. 17 Michigan, 71-65, at Crisler Center on Wednesday. Maryland, No. 13 in the NCAA NET, improved to 23-7 overall and 13-6 in Big Ten play. The Terps have won six of their last seven and 10 of their last 12 games. Since Jan. 10, the Terps are 12-3.
This was Maryland's seventh Quad 1 win and its fourth over a ranked team this season. The win was also Maryland's fifth true road win of the season - marking the most since also having five in 2019-20. Maryland, now in a tie for third place in the Big Ten, will continue its push for Big Ten Tournament seeding on Saturday in the regular-season finale against Northwestern at XFINITY Center.
The Terps used a 19-4 run that lasted over seven minutes in the first half to take control and lead 28-18 — the first double-digit advantage for the Terps. Selton Miguel scored 10 points during the run as Maryland used it to hold Michigan to a season-low 22 first-half points and remain in control for the rest of the contest. The Wolverines cut the deficit to two points at two separate points in the second half, but the Terps forced several turnovers and held Michigan scoreless for over five minutes down the stretch to hold on.
The Crab Five accounted for 67 of Maryland's 71 points, led by
Rodney Rice's 19 points. He scored 13 of his points in the second half, as he often scored in key situations to halt runs by Michigan as they made a push to chip away at its deficit.
Miguel tallied precisely 17 points for the fifth time in the last seven games. The fifth-year guard shot 7-of-13 from the floor, including 3-for-7 from three. He added four steals. Maryland had 12 steals as a team.
Freshman Derik Queen scored 17 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and collected two steals. He posted his 12th double-double of the season. It's the most double-doubles for a Maryland freshman since Joe Smith had 20 in 1993-94. Four of Queen's double-doubles have occurred against ranked opponents, the most by any freshman in the nation.
Julian Reese battled foul trouble, scoring six points, grabbing four rebounds, blocking two shots and collecting three steals. However, he eclipsed the 1,400 career points and became one of just five players in program history to reach 1,400 points and 900 rebounds in a career. The senior big man also moved inside the top 25 on the program's all-time leading scorers list.
Maryland boasted glaring advantages in points off turnovers (21-9), second-chance points (17-9) and steals (12-4). The Terps forced 16 turnovers while committing just eight.
Michigan (22-8, 14-5 Big Ten) was led by Vladislav Goldin (20 points and 13 rebounds) and Danny Wolf (20 points and seven rebounds).
Willard's Take
"There was so much talk earlier in the year," Willard said. "We lost a close one to Purdue, lost two tough ones out west, lost on a buzzer beater. I'm really proud of these guys because they blocked out all that negativity. To start 0-4 in the road, to stay positive, to stay with everything, and then end up 5-5 in this conference, more than anything, I'm just so proud of that group of guys."
Breaking Down The Action
- The Terps led the Wolverines 5-4 at the first media timeout. Rodney Rice drilled a wide-open second-chance 3-pointer, and Derik Queen added a pair of free throws.
- Maryland called a timeout as Michigan went on an 8-0 run with two 3-pointers to lead 12-7 at the 11:52 mark.
- The Terps responded with a 12-2 run to take a 19-16 lead at the 6:35 media timeout. Selton Miguel scored seven points during the run, and the Wolverines were just one for their last seven from the floor.
- Miguel drilled a deep three, making him the first Terp to reach double figures, and Jordan Geronimo dunked on a Wolverine to cap off a 19-4 run. The Terps led 26-18 with 4:33 to play.
- Maryland led 33-22 at halftime. Michigan's 22 points were a season low. Miguel and Queen each scored double-digit points.
- Michigan brought the game within five at 44-39 at the 13:05 mark. Vladislav Goldin scored 10 of his 16 in the half, and the Wolverines had made six of their last seven shots from the floor.
- Maryland pushed its lead back to double digits with back-to-back threes by Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Rice. It led 50-39 with 11:22 to play.
- In just over a minute, Michigan cut the lead to four at 50-46 with a 7-0 run. Maryland called a timeout to slow the run.
- The Terps held on with key shots by Rice. Maryland's defense also shined, holding the Wolverines scoreless for over five minutes down the stretch.
Double-Figure Factors
- Rodney Rice netted 19 points and scored in double digits for his 25th career game. It was his 22nd game in double figures as a Terp this season. It was also his ninth game in a row that he accomplished the feat.
- Selton Miguel tallied 17 points and earned his 82nd career game in double figures. It was his 22nd as a Terp this season. He leads the Terps in double-digit scoring games and scoring overall, with 1,551 career points in his five-year career.
- Derik Queen scored 17 points, scoring double-digit points for the 24th time in his freshman season. It was his ninth straight game scoring in double figures.
The Crab Five
- Maryland's starters, dubbed "The Crab Five" on social media, combined to score 67 of its 71 points in the game.
- The scoring amongst the starters was as follows: Rodney Rice (19 points), Derik Queen (17 points), Selton Miguel (17 points), Ja'Kobi Gillespie (eight points), Julian Reese (six points).
- Maryland is one of four major conference programs with all five starters scoring double figures while starting at least 50 percent of the team's games. Joining the Terps are Arizona State, Kentucky and Michigan. The Terps' five consists of: Queen (15.9), Gillespie (14.8), Rice (13.8), Reese (13), and Miguel (12).
- Maryland's five starters — the team's five leading scorers — have a combined scoring average of 69.5, the highest among all major conference programs.
Queen Of The Court
- Derik Queen scored 17 points while grabbing 12 rebounds, earning his 12th career double-double. Since 1993-94, he's one of just 13 Terps to post a double-double in their rookie seasons. He has the second most double-doubles in that span behind Joe Smith (20 from 1993-94).
- Queen's points per game mark (15.9) is third among Maryland freshmen from 1947-48. Joe Smith (19.4) and Melo Trimble (16.2) are the only ones who averaged more points. Furthermore, 18 of the top 26 freshmen scorers in program history were NBA Draft picks.
- The freshman is third on the program's freshman scoring list with 478 points this season. Next on the list is Melo Trimble, who scored 568 points in 2015.
- Queen is also fourth on the freshman rebounding list with 274 boards. Jordan Williams (284 in 2010) is third.
Numbers And Nuggets
- 4: Maryland has four wins over ranked teams this season.
- 4: Maryland is one of four major conference programs with all five starters scoring double figures while starting at least 50 percent of the team's games.
- 5: Reese is one of five players in program history to record over 1,400 points and 900 career rebounds.
- 7: The Terps have seven Quad 1 wins this season.
- 10: This was Willard's 10th win over a ranked team as the Terps' head coach.
- 12: This was the 12th game this season in which Miguel and Rice made three or more 3-pointers.
- 13: The Terps are ranked No. 13 in the NET Rankings.
- 13: Maryland is ranked No. 13 in this week's AP Poll.
- 17: Selton Miguel has scored 17 or more points in five of the last seven games.
- 20: The Terps are now 20-2 when Miguel scores in double figures this season.
- 22: The Terps held Michigan to a season-low 22 first-half points.
- 463: The Terps have now made a 3-pointer in 463 consecutive games.
- 1,551: Miguel leads the Terps with 1,551 career points in his five-year career.
Up Next
- Maryland will return to the XFINITY Center for its regular season finale against Northwestern on March 8 in front of a sold-out crowd on senior day. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. and air on Peacock. It will also be broadcast on the Maryland Sports Radio Network.
