Maryland Basketball: Big Ten analyst John Beilein on Terrapins road struggles
In this story:
The Maryland Terrapins got back into the win column on Sunday, returning home to the Xfinity Center and disposing of the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 69-66. And although the Terps allowed the Cornhuskers to go on a 9-0 run late to tie the game with less than a minute left, junior point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie's late game heroics helped seal the win for the Terrapins.
The win moved Maryland to 14-5 on the season and 4-4 in conference play. While the overall record looks decent, it's the road record that has left many within the fanbase feeling concerned about whether or not the Terps can make a meaningful run in March. The home record is an impressive 12-1, but Maryland's record away from the Xfinity Center is 0-4. Even more concerning is the fact that, under current head coach Kevin Willard, the Terps are just 3-20 overall in road games within the conference.
Another win at home!
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) January 19, 2025
Looking ahead, those struggles will be tested in the coming days, as the Terps hit the road for three of the next four matchups - at No. 19 Illinois, at Indiana, and at Ohio State.
Following Maryland's three point win over Nebraska on Sunday, Big Ten network analyst (and former Michigan head basketball coach) John Beilein shared his thoughts on the Terps as they navigate a difficult conference schedule.
"Maryland's just... they're up and they're down, Beilein said. "They're up and they're down, and they're trying to find themselves somewhere along the line. They have the talent, they have the coaching expertise to be really good in this league, but together they've got to figure it out. Because, and we talked about this last week, you've got to go .500 on this road if you're going to be at that top and be safely in that good seed in the NCAA [tournament]. They're not going .500 on the road. Illinois will probably go .500 on the road, Michigan might be even better than that. But Maryland's not doing that until they solve some of these issues."
Beilein is certainly right, and Maryland fans are painfully aware that the struggles on the road will likely lead to disappointment in March. If the Terrapins hope change the narrative and set the stage for a deep run in the tournament, the next four games will go a long way toward that effort.
- Enjoy more Maryland coverage on Maryland Terrapins On SI -
More Maryland News
Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
Follow TWH_Chris