Playing a Division-I opponent for the first time in nine days, Maryland (8-7, 2-6 Big Ten) showed some rust and was upended by No. 7 Michigan (12-1, 7-1) Jan. 19, as the Wolverines coasted to a 87-63 victory in Ann Arbor.

It was bad from the jump for Mark Turgeon’s team, which fell behind 15 early in the game and never recovered. The Terps never had a lead in the game and let the Wolverines get whatever they wanted on offense. Adding to Maryland’s struggles, the Terps missed 13 free throws against the Wolverines and shot just 4-for-19 from three.

“I thought we were a half step slow tonight,” Turgeon said. “Maybe it was just Michigan. I thought Michigan was terrific. They’re really hard to guard. In the low post, if you don’t double them, they score on you. If you double them, they can shoot threes. They shot the ball terrific tonight. They move the ball great. And then we were just a little off...It was just one of those nights. And then the free throw shooting didn’t really give us a chance.”

Conversely, Michigan shot 12-for-24 from deep and finished with 20 assists on 29 made field goals on Tuesday night. Shooting a blistering 52% from the field, the Wolverines finished with four double-digit scorers against the Terps. Senior forward Isaiah Livers led all scorers with 20 points. Livers also added five rebounds to his totals.

Rebounding, in general, was a major factor in Michigan’s 24-point win. The Wolverines outrebounded the Terps 36-26 on Tuesday night. Five blocks and 30 points in the paint added to Michigan’s dominance down low.

Much of the post scoring by the Wolverines was done by sophomore forward Franz Wagner, who finished with 15 points and a game-high six rebounds. Wagner’s frontcourt mate Hunter Dickinson, who torched Maryland for 26 points and 11 rebounds on New Year’s Eve, was held to just three points on Tuesday, but he, too, ripped down six boards.

“It’s tough. It’s really tough,” Turgeon said. “The Wagner kid is just getting better and better every game. He’s terrific. They play at a good pace. They share the ball. They’re extremely unselfish. And they had the size advantage across the board except at point guard. And they’re hard to guard, and the thing that makes them even more special is how well they guard defensively and how locked in they are to their game plan defensive and how quick they adjust defensively. They made some quick adjustments out there. They were really good.

“They’ve beaten the heck out of everybody in this building almost. I just wish we would have shot it a little better, made a few more layups, made a few more open threes, and made our free throws, and I think we could have competed a little more, and our defense would have been a little better.”

The bulk of Maryland’s scoring was handled by sophomore forward Donta Scott, who had a team-high 13 points, junior point guard Eric Ayala (12 points), and fellow juniors Aaron Wiggins (11) and Jairus Hamitlon (10).

But overall, it was far from the Terps’ best performance on offense, much of which was thanks to a stifling Michigan defense.

“Give them credit,” Turgeon said. “They were dialed in and they pressured us out of everything and we weren’t tough enough to fight through that and take what the defense gives you. So it’s a frustrating night, but you have to give them credit. They’re really good.”

How good? Turgeon thinks the Wolverines are a serious contender to cut down the nets come March Madness.

“They’re good enough to win the whole thing,” Turgeon said. “Whether they will or not, we’ll see. But I think they have 3-4 pros, NBA guys out there. I think they could win the whole thing. Now whether they’re going to get hot at the right time and guys are going to make shots, and all that kind of stuff. But they have all the pieces. They can go big. They can go small. They can do whatever they want. Guys are bought into their roles. So it can be a special year for them if they get hot at the right time. So they’re really good. You’ve got to give them credit.”

Maryland will look to right the ship in their next time out when they travel to Minneappolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Jan. 23.