Maryland Terrapins and Ohio State Face Off In B1G/ACC Challenge

Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Teams: Maryland Terrapins (5-2) vs. #5 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)

Where: Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center | Columbus, Ohio

Tip-Off: 7:00PM

Watch It: ESPN

Maryland plays in Columbus, Ohio tonight against a future Big Ten opponent, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tonight is the first meeting between these two teams since 1985.

This will be Maryland’s first road game of the season and it’s a great opportunity for the Terps to boost their resume before heading into ACC play for the last time. A win on the road against a top-five team will go over well with the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee come March.

Since the beginning of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in 1999, the Terps are tied for second-most wins (Duke-12, Maryland-10, Wake Forest-10, Clemson-9). They have also fared well on the road with a record of 4-1, most recently defeating Northwestern last season.

Ohio State is a great team, and for Maryland to have a chance tonight, they must play a great game by limiting their turnovers and playing team basketball.

The Buckeyes come into this game holding their opponents to 53.3 points per game which is second best in the nation. They also have beat their opponents by an average margin of 19.6 points.

The two Terps that you should look to have big games are Evan Smotrycz and Jake Layman. Smotrycz has faced Ohio State more times in his career (six) than  Maryland has in its entire history (five). Look for another double-double night from the red-shirt junior.

Layman will get his looks from behind the arc tonight. He is shooting .511 from 3-point range, which is third best in the ACC. If he’s on, feed him the ball. If he’s not, the Terps could be in trouble of shooting themselves out of the game.

It’s time for some Big Ten/ACC basketball tonight from Columbus! These two conferences are the best of the best on the hardwood and tonight’s game should be a good one.

After the game, tweet your reactions by using the hashtag #MDvsOSU and we might mention you in our analysis tomorrow!

Go Terps!