When Maryland men’s basketball head coach Buzz Williams spoke to the media ahead of the Terps’ season opener, he made a controversial statement about his team’s outlook.
“We probably lose a game or two before Christmas every year that we shouldn’t, and we probably win a game or two after Valentine’s Day that we shouldn’t,” Williams said.
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The Terps quickly fulfilled the first part of the prophecy, losing winnable games against Georgetown and then-No. 23 Virginia and getting smoked by Iowa and then-No. 2 Michigan. With the way Big Ten play began, few had faith in the second part coming true.
It did, three days early. Through a cohesive team effort on both sides of the ball, Maryland trailed for less than two minutes in the second half against an Iowa team on a six-game win streak. The Terps got their revenge in College Park, beating the Hawkeyes, 77-70.
For the second straight game, Maryland found the ability to compete. Once it weathered an early cold streak, the Terps made four straight baskets.
One small defensive problem arose for them, though. Following Diggy Coit’s 29-point explosion against Minnesota, Maryland tried to work in the 5-foot-11 guard early and often. Iowa attacked him, working their offensive switches exclusively around Coit.
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Coit ended up defending 6-foot-9 Cam Manyawu and 6-foot-8 Cooper Koch under the rim too often, with the mismatch getting Iowa some simple baskets. Iowa began an efficient 9-of-16 from the field.
It wasn’t as efficient as Andre Mills’ 6-of-8 first-half shooting, though. The Boston native’s season has reached critical mass; everything Maryland needs, Mills gets done. His tenacious on-ball defending leads an improved defensive effort from Maryland. Iowa scored 44 first-half points against the Terps in January — Wednesday, the Hawkeyes scored just 32 before the break.
That gave Maryland the opportunity to take a lead. For just the second time in 2026, it did — because it attacked the paint.
Instead of lining up around the arc to take shots, Maryland worked inside. The Terps made seven of their last nine shot attempts of the first half, including a perfect 5-for-5 mark on 2-pointers.
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Despite a slow open to the second half, Darius Adams kept that trend going. He rose up for two difficult layups and made both, extending the Terps’ advantage.
Bennett Stirtz wasn’t going to let Iowa slip away, though. The senior guard — who scored 25 against Maryland in the teams’ first meeting and had averaged 30 points over his previous three games — shouldered the scoring burden for the Hawkeyes. After a 13-point first half, he scored nine of Iowa’s first 13 after the break.
With 12 minutes left in the game, Iowa retook the lead. Maryland needed an answer. Andre Mills stepped up, nailing a contested 3-pointer. A minute later, he dove inside for a layup that put him at a career-high 19 points.
But Mills kept going. When a jumper from Coit careened off the rim into the air, the freshman rose high above an Iowa defender for a putback. He then got to the line twice, making three of four free throws to cap off a personal 10-point run. Iowa wouldn’t regain the lead for the rest of the game.
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Maryland forced Iowa into committing several fouls, getting itself into the double-bonus with more than five minutes remaining in the game. That gave the Terps several opportunities from the free throw line, an area they excelled from earlier in the season.
For some reason, Maryland was struggling to pick up points from the stripe . The Terps missed eight second-half free throws, keeping the Hawkeyes in the game.
Stirtz did everything he could to keep Iowa in the game — he finished with 32 points.
But Elijah Saunders made four straight free throws when it mattered, and Maryland held on for a desperately needed result.
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Three things to know
1. Maryland isn’t as deep as it was. Curiously, Williams appears to have shortened the bench. Just eight Terps saw time on the court — the bench was Coit, Isaiah Watts and Aleks Alston. Even then, the latter two had just 11 minutes combined. Mills and Saunders finished the game playing 40 and 39 minutes, respectively.
That left the scoring load on a few players, creating a box score that looked straight out of Maryland’s 2024-25 season. Adams, Mills, Coit, Saunders and Solomon Washington each finished the game with double figures. Collin Metcalf added a point — and that was Maryland’s scoring on the night.
2. Maryland is gritty — even after a midseason slump. Tournament dreams are all but over, but Maryland’s heart is still there. Nothing exemplified that more than when Metcalf dove to the floor 90 seconds in and muscled out a ground ball, calling a timeout to secure possession — not realizing there was half a second left on the shot clock. Maryland could do nothing with the chance.
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3. Maryland’s schedule looks forgiving. Maryland has the most momentum it’s had this season. The victory against Minnesota picked heads up; the victory against Iowa can start to spark belief. The Terps’ next three games are against Rutgers, Northwestern and Washington — the teams, respectively, sitting two spots below, one spot below and directly above Maryland in the Big Ten rankings.
