The No. 22 Terrapins rewarded the home crowd with a riveting performance, winning their Big Ten opener to move to 8-0 and deliver new coach Kevin Willard his first marquee victory.
With Maryland clinging to a one-point lead and 14 seconds remaining, senior guard Jahmir Young sprung himself for a three-pointer that swished through the net, pushing the lead to four and allowing Maryland fans to finally celebrate.
“This is what he signed up for,” Willard said. “He wanted the big-time moment, the big-time crowd, and he’s a big-time player.”
The Upper Marlboro native capped his 24-point evening by hitting the game’s defining shot. Willard called a timeout with 28 seconds to go, and he hoped his team could get to the free throw line by drawing a foul. Young’s shot “wasn’t what I drew up,” Willard said, but “it sure looked good.”
These are the moments the fan base has craved, and Willard and his Terps shined in front of an announced crowd of 16,380.
“I want to get this program back to a championship level,” Willard said. “To get it back to a championship level, you need a building like that every night.”
Maryland grabbed a lead less than eight minutes into the game and held on to that advantage until Illinois tied it with 7:36 remaining. Maryland had led by 11 points in the second half, but the Terps went nearly seven minutes without a basket. After winning their first seven games by an average of 22 points, the Terps had to navigate a tight contest.
In the final five minutes, neither team led by more than three points — until Young, a transfer from Charlotte, made his biggest shot of the season.
“That was an unbelievable feeling,” Young said.
With former coach Gary Williams, ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt and tennis star Frances Tiafoe courtside, the Terps, one of 15 undefeated teams in Division I, proved they can compete with the Big Ten’s best.
The Illini entered this season as one of the top teams in the Big Ten. The team lost all five of its primary starters from last season, including star center Kofi Cockburn, but Coach Brad Underwood retooled with talented transfers and freshmen.
Maryland has given Illinois trouble in the past and have won nine of their past 11 meetings. Illini Coach Brad Underwood, who also lost in College Park with Oklahoma State, called Xfinity Center “the one building I haven’t cracked in the Big Ten yet.”
In the fast-paced game, both Maryland and Illinois made shots at a high clip early on, with neither leading by more than three in the first nine minutes. Then the Terps broke through. In a 20-second span, Hakim Hart hit a three-pointer, Patrick Emilien collected a rebound off a missed layup, and with Willard thrusting his arm through the air, urging his players to race down the court, Young launched another three. The crowd quieted as the ball took flight and then responded with a piercing roar as it fell through the net.
Illinois called a timeout after that 11-0 Maryland run, which included eight points from Hart, and a couple of minutes later the Terps had turned the tight contest into a double-digit advantage. Hart, who had 17 points and matched his career-high with five three-pointers, hit key shots throughout to help Maryland maintain its cushion. Illinois (6-2) climbed back in the second half, and the game tightened into the final moments. Then Young had the last word, and the crowd had a last roar.
Here’s what else to know about Maryland’s win:
Illinois has been powered by Terrence Shannon Jr., a standout guard who transferred from Texas Tech. He averages nearly 20 points per game, and Willard considers the senior a national player of the year candidate.
“If I was an NBA general manager, I’d be drafting that dude,” Willard said. “He can do it all.”
Maryland focused on containing Shannon on the perimeter. Against the Terps, he scored 19 points, a team high, but went 0 for 5 from three-point range. In the second half, Shannon air-balled a pair of shots from deep.
When Illinois knocked off UCLA for its best win of the season, Shannon made eight three-pointers. Against Syracuse this week, he hit five.
Shannon scored seven points in the final 10 minutes, but he couldn’t do enough to will his team to a road win.
When Willard took over the Maryland program, he needed a point guard and added Young as a transfer. The former DeMatha standout had been a prolific scorer at Charlotte, scoring 1,421 points over three seasons. For the first time Friday night, Young proved he can also thrive in the Big Ten and in moments when his team needs him most.
Young attacked the rim and was lethal from the perimeter. With the Terps shooting well from three-point range, Young finished with a 4-for-9 mark from beyond the arc.
Just before the halftime break, Julian Reese hustled for an offensive rebound that led to a three-pointer for Young, handing the Terps a 41-34 margin at intermission.
Young had to adjust to a new role in College Park. He no longer feels as if he needs to be the primary scorer and playmaker on every possession. But as Maryland’s steady point guard, he’s still racking up points. Young has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and now has at least 15 in his past three outings.
“That’s why Jahmir came here,” Willard said. “He wanted to play at the highest level of basketball in a big-time program in a big-time area.”
