#11 Ohio State v. #12 Maryland

Who will WIN this matchup?

#11 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-3)

@ #12 Maryland Terrapins (12-2)

Current odds:

#11 Ohio State Buckeyes: (+125)

#12 Maryland Terrapins: (-145)

• The line for this game is Maryland by 2.5 points.

• Fourteenth-ranked Maryland is ascending and No. 12 Ohio State is quickly descending heading into their Big Ten matchup Tuesday night in College Park, Md. The Terrapins have logged two straight wins after the Christmas break while the Buckeyes have plummeted out of the top five in the national rankings after two consecutive losses. In the resumption of Big Ten play last weekend, Maryland looked impressive in a 75-59 victory at home over Indiana, but Ohio State was unable to take care of business at home against Wisconsin, falling 61-57 to the Badgers. With a loss to 17th-ranked West Virginia preceding the setback against Wisconsin, the Buckeyes are in danger of falling to 1-3 in the conference after rising to as high as No. 2 in the country last month.

• Like Ohio State, Maryland cracked the top five in the national rankings in December after racing to a 10-0 start but lost two straight games before regaining its footing. The Terrapins used three big runs in the second half against Indiana to pull away and hand the Hoosiers their third loss of the season.

• An inability to close out opponents in close games has cost Ohio State in its last two losses after leading West Virginia and Wisconsin in the final five minutes. Coach Chris Holtmann can point to turnovers (22 versus West Virginia, 14 against Wisconsin) and a lack of consistent scoring options at crunch time other than leading scorer Kaleb Wesson for the Buckeyes’ recent struggles. Holtmann used only eight players against Wisconsin and received little to no bench production from freshmen D.J. Carton and E.J. Liddell, who combined for two points, one rebound, two assists and five turnovers.

• Jalen Smith, a 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, is a double-double machine with eight, which ranks second in the Big Ten and was sixth nationally entering Monday, and a potential matchup problem for Ohio State. Senior Anthony Cowan Jr. steadies the Terrapins from the point guard position as a ball-handler (10 assists in the last two games) and a scorer (team-leading 16.4 points per game, 16 or more in eight of the last 10 contests). Maryland has shown an ability to get to the glass (fifth nationally with 42.6 rebounds per game) and to the free throw line (third in the Big Ten in free throws attempted and made).

• The status of Ohio State F Kyle Young, the team’s second-leading rebounder who underwent an appendectomy after the loss to West Virginia, is “day-to-day,” Holtmann told reporters.

• Cowan does not have a turnover in either of Maryland’s last two games after totaling nine in December losses to Penn State and Seton Hall.

• Ohio State, which plays four of its next six games on the road, is trying to avoid a scenario similar to last season when it lost five straight games in January after a strong start.