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Unranked Maryland stunned the college basketball world Thursday night by knocking off No. 3 Purdue with a 68–54 home victory.
The resounding upset marked the first win for the Terps over an AP top-five program since they beat No. 3 Iowa in 2016. Shortly after the final buzzer, an already-ecstatic crowd of Terrapins fans stormed the floor to celebrate the landmark win, which is also first-year coach Kevin Willard’s fourth over a ranked opponent this season.
Entering Thursday night, the Boilermakers (23–4, 12–4 Big Ten) sought to end a recent skid that saw them lose two of their last three games—all of which were on the road. Instead, coach Matt Painter & Co. left College Park facing the real possibility of another dip in the standings on the heels of Sunday’s 64–58 loss to unranked Northwestern.
After trailing 28–25 at halftime, the Maryland (18–8, 9–6 Big Ten) found itself down 37-29 with 16:21 left in the second half before running away with the game. UMD outscored Purdue 29–4 en route to handing its conference rival its biggest loss of the season. The Terps also won the battle on the boards, 35–23, the largest margin by a Boilermakers opponent this year.
Maryland senior guard Jahmir Young led all scorers with 20 points, while senior guard Hakim Hart finished with 13 points and sophomore forward Julian Reese added 10. Meanwhile, junior center Zach Edey and freshman guard Braden Smith were the only Purdue players in double-figures with 18 points a piece, with the star big man also adding eight rebounds and three blocks.
