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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The tunnel leading to Maryland’s locker room was nearly empty Sunday night. I was leaning against the wall while I waited.

The Terrapins players were unable to speak to reporters, and most of them hurriedly boarded the team bus, leaving Willard with his most lopsided loss of the season and fourth loss in six games, further blunting Willard’s promising start. . First season at College Park.

Instead, Maryland (10-4, 1-2 Big Ten) departed the Crisler Center with the largest margin of loss since their 85-44 loss to No. 2 Duke on January 24, 2009. Did. They are Power Conference opponents and have scored 62 points in their last two combined appearances.

Recent mishaps included Maryland trailing 17-0, shooting 68-for-18 (26.5%) overall, and outbounding 49-30. Terps trailed by 31 points at halftime, allowing Michigan (8-5, 2-0) to shoot 28-for-56 (50%).

“Of course I wasn’t ready to play,” Willard said. “This is my responsibility. Guys, these two days he had a good practice. He just came out and unfortunately he just got off to such a bad start. He had a bad start in 3 or 4 games. [and] We just haven’t been able to fight through. ”

Backup guard Jahari Long led the Terps with nine points in a move from Seton Hall, who joined Willard on the move to Maryland. Maryland’s starters scored just 22 points in total, shooting 9-for-40 (22.5%). Season scoring leader Jameel Young scored five points in 19 minutes.

Maryland had no answer for Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson. His 32 points combined with 12 rebounds on 13-of-16 shooting. At one point in the second half, the former DeMatha star scored his 28th point and with the Terpins combined he had 25.

Terrance Williams II (Gonzaga College High) added 11 points and 5 rebounds for the Wolverines. Starting in 1927, the Wolverines ended a two-game skid with the largest margin of victory in a series that included 20 contests.

“Michigan played great, Hunter was great, but we just haven’t had the energy we’ve had so far,” Willard said. . . some of these starts we’ve had are disappointing and we have to understand that.”

Here’s what else you should know about the Maryland loss.

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Dickinson, a 7-foot-1 junior, was called out for a flagrant foul late in the first half after battling with Maryland’s Noah Batchelor for a loose ball. Both players fell onto the court trying to steal the ball, and officials reviewed the sequence before deciding that Dickinson had exceeded the limit, justifying a common foul.

The episode highlighted Dickinson’s expressed dislike of Maryland. The 2020 Allmet He Player of the Year was one of the most coveted rookies in the country, but Terrapins was not named in his final selection. Dickinson claimed the state of Maryland rejected him during the recruitment process under former coach Mark Tarjon, but the school offered him a scholarship in the fall of his sophomore year.

Still, the animosity didn’t go away.

“Maryland fans will probably think this is my reason to live,” Dickinson said. is the team of

Maryland closes 8-win season with bowl win and mayonnaise bus

Willard was so disappointed by the lack of effort from his starting line-up in the first half that he sat down four starters and donned to the floor to join Long, Batchelor, Patrick Emilien and Ian Martinez as the starting unit to start the second half. I left only Carrie. .

Other reserves also played extended minutes in the second half when Terps’ deficit widened to 38 points.

“It wasn’t benching,” said Willard. “We were just trying to find a little spark in everybody. Obviously there wasn’t a lot of time in that first unit, so try to spark a little bit and get some guys who don’t have a lot of time.” If you’re 31 points behind at the half, you might come back and not win.”

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