Maryland basketball departs for first Big Ten trip to West Coast with a mixed history
Maryland basketball will celebrate the new year by traveling across the country. The Terps are slated to face Washington on Thursday and Oregon on Sunday, their first big road swing of the season.
Maryland basketball will celebrate the new year by traveling across the country. The Terps are slated to face Washington on Thursday and Oregon on Sunday, their first big road swing of the season.
Then they'll have a chance for a second dose of revenge for the worst loss of the Kevin Willard era, as the No. 22 ranked UCLA Bruins travel to College Park. The Bruins hammered Maryland by 27 points in College Park two years ago, before Maryland beat them by nine last year in the second year of a non-conference home and home. When that series was scheduled, neither school knew they'd be continuing to play one another as conference rivals.
The early season slate will challenge Maryland, who's played one road game. The Terps are not only on the road but will travel over 2,744 miles to Seattle. It's three straight games against the new Big Ten teams with a combined record of 29-7.
Maryland has a brief history against West Coast teams. They've played UCLA 10 times but have never taken on Oregon or Washington. They have matched up with other teams on the west coast, including UNLV (1-4), Gonzaga (1-3), California (2-0), Pepperdine (2-0), Oregon State (1-0) and others.
Let's look at the program's history against West Coast opponents as the Terps embark on their first trip there for conference games.
The Bruins and Terps
Maryland and UCLA have faced off 10 times. The matchups haven't been great for Maryland.
Maryland's 3-7 and have scored 98 less points than the Bruins in the series history. They suffered that blowout in College Park in 2022, 87-60. They also lost, 105-70, in the second round of the 1999-2000 NCAA tournament, allowing UCLA to make 14 three-pointers.
But the Terps got their revenge last season. Jahmir Young scored 37 points on only 19 shots and led Maryland to a 69-60 victory in Los Angeles. The two teams will meet for the third straight year on Jan. 10, when the Bruins travel to College Park.
In 1998, No. 5 Maryland beat No. 10 UCLA in the Puerto Rico Shootout as Terence Morris matched his career high with 22 points.
Toughest opponent
UNLV hasn't been relevant on the national landscape in more than a decade but was a premiere program in the 1980s and early 1990s. Maryland played the Runnin' Rebels during their ascension and couldn't figure out legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian's fast-paced offense.
The Runnin' Rebels and Terps faced off five times between 1978 and 1986. UNLV went 4-1, but they were thrilling contests. The total point differential between the two schools was just two points. Four of the five games were decided by two possessions and two matchups were one-score finishes.
Jammin Jahmir
No game encapsulated Jahmir Young's final season than last year's game against UCLA. The point guard scored 37 points. He accounted for 54% of the Terps 69 points. Only one of his teammates, Donta Scott, scored in double figures.
Young scored at all three levels. He made four of his six three-pointers, made mid-range jumpers and got to the basket at will. The Maryland native also made seven free throws and grabbed seven rebounds.
Young was spectacular in crunch time. He scored nine straight points when UCLA cut the Terps lead to two with four minutes remaining, including an-and-one basket with 1:23 seconds remaining. The 37 points was his career-high and were the most for a Terp since Diamond Stone scored 39 vs. Penn State (Dec. 30, 2015). He went on to have an extremely productive season in a down year.
