Maryland moved to 7-0 to open up the Kevin Willard era, defeating Louisville on the road, 79-54, as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Senior forward Donta Scott led three Terps in double-figure scoring with a game-high 18 points.
The Terps never trailed the Cardinals Tuesday night, marking the fourth time this season that Maryland went wire-to-wire without facing a deficit.
The Terps now enter conference play undefeated as they will host No. 16 Illinois Friday night in College Park. The Illini are coming off of a 73-44 win over Syracuse in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Here are three takeaways from the seventh win of the season.
Hot start for Jahmir Young
Veteran point guard Jahmir Young came out and controlled the game right from the opening tip, scoring seven of the Terps' first 11 points out of the gate. He finished the opening half with 11 of his 15 points, while adding four rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal.
Young only scored four points in the second half, but he continued to control the game, dishing out three assists and adding two more steals. After the game, head coach Kevin Willard said Tuesday night's performance versus Louisville was the best of the season for young as he continues to learn how to be more of a true point guard that really defends versus being a score-first combo guard like he was asked to do at Charlotte. Looking at the stat sheet, the five assists and three steals say Young is well on his way to making that transition seamlessly.
Reese struggles in first true road test
Sophomore forward Julian Reese struggled in the Terps' first road test of the season, having difficulty with Louisville's size and length inside while also getting into early foul trouble. Picking up his second foul of the game less than 10 minutes into the first half, Reese played just 11 minutes, scoring three points in the opening half.
Things didn't really get much better for Reese in the second half, as he again scored just three points and really struggled to get his shot off in the paint versus Louisville's length. And when he was able to draw a foul, he shot just 2-of-6 from the charity stripe for the game.
The Terps will likely need Reese to get back to playing more like he did versus Miami with Illinois coming to town Friday night. The Illini will present a big challenge for the Terps' front court with their size and depth in the post.
Terps continue to play stifling D
While things weren't necessarily clicking for the Terps offensively early in the game, the defensive intensity was there for Maryland right from the opening tip.
For the game, the Terps held Louisville to just 34 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent shooting from beyond the arc. They also forced 13 turnovers, scoring 21 points off of those turnovers. Despite their lack of depth in the paint, the Terps won the battle of the boards, 38-33, marking the seventh straight game that Maryland has held the advantage on the glass. Finally, Louisville was the fourth opponent this season the Terps have held under 60 points.
