Maryland had the kind of opening that should have put a signature win within reach. The Terps built an 11-point halftime lead, spent all but 10 minutes in front, and had Xfinity Center buzzing with its best atmosphere since the Michigan State game in 2025.
Then the second half turned the whole night upside down.
Virginia erased the gap quickly, and once the Cavaliers got rolling, Maryland never fully recovered. DJ Wagner and Mike McNair Jr. knocked down back-to-back threes to briefly put Maryland back on top, but Virginia answered with a 9-0 burst over a three-minute stretch to flip the game again. From there, the lead changed hands five times in the final eight minutes before Virginia guard Sam Lewis finished in the paint to give Maryland a deficit it couldn’t erase.
Lewis was the difference-maker all night, pouring in a career-high 28 points on 75% shooting. Virginia shot better than 62% from the field overall and finished the game by making nine of its final 10 shots. In the second half alone, the Cavaliers hit 76.9% of their attempts, while Maryland managed just 33% over the final 12:36.
“I think that what we got to continue to figure out is our shot quality impacts those things, but it also impacts the opponent's shot quality,” head coach Buzz Williams added.
For Maryland, the collapse came with familiar frustrations. Kaden House, who posted a career-high 17 points along with three offensive rebounds and a steal, summed up the second-half slide with a blunt, “I don’t really know.”
McNair, who finished with 15 points and made half of his three-point tries, pointed to a loss of edge and detail as the game slipped away.
“I mean, I feel like we kind of just got complacent as a team, and we let foul calls, I guess, just like get us to be a little bit less aggressive,” McNair, who tallied 15 points on 50% three point shooting, said. “And then when things wouldn't go our way as a group, we kind of wouldn't focus on the details that we were talking about. And so we just gotta continue to get better and focus on the details later in the game.”
The numbers told a similar story. Maryland turned eight first-half Virginia turnovers into 13 points while committing only three of its own before halftime.
In the second half, that edge disappeared, with Virginia outscoring Maryland by two points off turnovers. The Terps also struggled from deep again, shooting 23.5% from three in Friday’s loss and dropping to 21.5% from beyond the arc through their first three regular-season games.
Williams said, “it is a category that we've got to continue to improve.”
He also said Maryland did a, “much better job within each possession, regardless of who shot, being more aware of our shot quality.”
One of the game’s biggest turning points came with Maryland down one and 3:48 remaining. Williams used a challenge that replay confirmed, overturning an out-of-bounds call against Chance Mallory and giving Maryland possession. Virginia still answered with consecutive layups to stretch the margin to five in the next minute, but Williams said the challenge led to a defensive adjustment.
“to have more presence at the rim because they were scoring at such a high rate. They were scoring twos. They weren't scoring threes, but they were scoring twos at the rim, and we were fouling too much in the second half.”
It still wasn’t enough. Virginia closed by making all seven of its final shot attempts over the last 5:42, and Maryland walked off with another loss that left the building with more questions than answers.
The Terps will try to get back to .500 against Alcorn State on Monday at 6 PM, but the bigger test is still ahead. In 10 days, Maryland faces 11th-ranked Tennessee to open the Players Era Tournament, and that matchup will offer another chance to answer the question hanging over this team: can it beat a top opponent when the moment is there?
In Other News...
Marylands Coaching Search Just Became Far More Ambitious
Marylands coaching search has taken a notable turn, with Brian Kelly recently interviewing for the Terrapins vacant job. The former Notre Dame and LSU coach has been out of the dugout since LSU fired him last fall, spending this season as a CBS analyst and SiriusXM co-host while the school moved on from Mike Locksley earlier in October.
Kellys name immediately raises the level of the search, which already has included other familiar candidates such as Chip Kelly, Dan Mullen and Biff Poggi. For Maryland, the next hire will shape not just the programs direction but also how aggressively it tries to position itself in a crowded Big Ten coaching market. [Read more 🡒]
Marylands Sudden QB Change Just Changed Everything For The Terps
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Williams finished with school-record marks in completion rate and consecutive completions, and he accounted for three total touchdowns in a 24-21 win that felt as much about composure as production. Maryland still had to close it out late, and S. O'Haire delivered the deciding field goal to seal it, but the bigger question now is whether this one-game spark has permanently altered the Terps' quarterback picture. [Read more 🡒]
DeMatha Is One Win From A Statement Maryland Fans Will Notice
DeMatha Catholic kept rolling in the WCAC Capital Division semifinals, beating Gonzaga College High School 31-13 to move within one win of another league crown. The Stags have leaned on defense all season, and that formula has them back in the championship game with a chance to add to a run that has already become familiar under interim head coach Bryce Bevill.
St. Johns College now stands in the way after its win over Good Counsel, setting up a title game with plenty of local interest for Maryland fans who follow the area talent pipeline closely. DeMatha is chasing its third straight WCAC title, and the matchup gives the program a chance to make another statement in one of the regions toughest high school football leagues. [Read more 🡒]