Maryland Men's Basketball vs. Ohio State Preview

Maryland men's basketball is back at Xfinity Center tomorrow evening for another Big Ten match-up against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Terrapins have a favorable stretch against the Buckeyes at home, having won the past three contests at Xfinity Center. Hopefully, the Terps can keep that train going and end their current three-game losing skid.

Time to dive into the nitty-gritty....

How to Watch

Date: Thursday, February 4th, 2026

Where: Xfinity Center at College Park, Maryland

Tipoff: 8:30 p.m.

TV: Fox Sports 1

Radio: Maryland Sports Radio Network

Ohio State Key Team Stats

Record: 14-7 (6-5 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Jake Diebler

Leading Scorer: Brue Thornton- 19.5 points per game

Leading Rebounder: Devin Royal- 5.7 rebounds per game (4.0 DRPG & 1.7 ORPG)

Leader in Assists: Brue Thornton- 3.6 assists per game

Team Scoring Offense: 82.2 points per game (69th nationally)

Team Field Goal %: 49.1% (28th nationally)

Team Free Throw %: 78.8% (9th nationally)

Assist / Turnover Ratio: 1.42 (78th nationally)

Ohio State opens up as 6.5-point favorites according to Draft Kings

Players To Watch

Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton

The senior guard is the Buckeyes' leading scorer, finishing in double figures in every game but two this season, highlighting his consistent output. Thornton excels in the midrange game and plays with a patience that allows him to be precise in his attacking, creating scoring opportunities for himself or finding his teammates. His frame and size allow him to play physically offensively and defensively.

Maryland guard Andre Mills

Mills provided an offensive spark off the bench for the Terps against Purdue, leading the way with 18 points. I want to see him string back-to-back consistent performances in which he uses his speed and size to his advantage in the fast break and on defense, leading to easy baskets.

History vs. Ohio State

The all-time matchup between these two teams is tied up 12-12. The Buckeyes won last season's meeting after Thornton hit a last-second three-pointer to secure the victory. As previously mentioned, Maryland has won the past three meetings at Xfinity Center.

Final Take

It's been tough results after tough results lately for Buzz Williams and his group. With that said, they discussed it in their post-game press conference on Sunday, saying they weren't solely focused on the result and were trying to improve game to game. That can be rough for Terrapins fans to hear, but it's realistic for a group that is entirely new to College Park and still trying to shape their identity in year one of the Williams era. Sunday is a chance to find the win column against a non-ranked opponent. Will they do that?