Maryland men’s basketball is in a slump.

The Terps sit at 6-6, a step below what fans hoped from head coach Buzz Williams’ first season. They need a victory against Old Dominion, their next opponent, to ensure they enter 2026 with a winning record.

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Undeniably, though, Maryland’s schedule has played a role in the struggle. The Terps have played five teams currently in the AP’s top 25 rankings, and their schedule thus far ranks 27th-hardest in the nation, according to KenPom. According to Bart Torvik’s Wins Above Bubble — a new stat the selection committee will use — an average bubble team would be projected to go 7-5 with Maryland’s run of games.

There are certainly reasons to be worried. But the Terps won’t keep playing top-25-caliber opponents every other game, and as the team continues to gel, there is plenty of potential for improvement. Fans will hope to see early signs of both of those markers against Old Dominion.

Sunday’s game will begin at 6 p.m. at Xfinity Center. It will be available to watch on the Big Ten Network.

Old Dominion Monarchs (4-9, 1-1 Sun Belt)

2024-25 record: 15-20, 8-10 Sun Belt

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Second-year head coach Mike Jones’ first season in charge of the Monarchs saw the team finish the regular season 12-19 with little expectation of more. But Old Dominion won its second-round game in the 2025 Sun Belt tournament — its first postseason victory since 2019 — and just kept winning. They were eventually ousted in the quarterfinals after three victories in three days.

That positive momentum generated some traction to start the season, but the wheels have fallen off in recent games. The Monarchs have lost six of their last seven, mostly against mid-major opponents. Big East opponents Xavier and Villanova have beaten Old Dominion by 30 and 14 points, respectively. They’ll hope to keep it closer against another power conference foe.

Players to know

Jordan Battle, senior guard, 6-foot-2, No. 23 — Battle’s resume is long. He started at Utah Valley and spent a year at Salt Lake Community College before moving east, first to James Madison and now to Old Dominion.

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His list of contributions is longer — he leads his team with a 43% mark from deep, an 87.5% mark from the charity stripe, 5.5 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game.

Ketron “KC” Shaw, senior guard, 6-foot-4, No. 0 — Shaw’s previous success at Winston-Salem State and Maryland Eastern Shore has translated to Old Dominion, where he scores a team-leading 16 points per game. Curiously, he’s gone 0-for-11 from three-point range.

While he missed the back half of November, when their recent slump began, his performance was crucial for the Monarchs’ lone win — he finished with 22 points and six rebounds against James Madison, both season-highs.

Caelum Swanton-Rodger, senior forward, 7-foot-0, No. 35 — After spending two seasons at Maryland, Swanton-Rodger left Xfinity Center in search of more playing time. He’s gotten it at Old Dominion, where he has started 46 of the team’s last 48 games. He finished second in the Sun Belt with 61 blocks last season and already has 17 this year, 10 more than any other Monarch.

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Strength

Three-point shooting. While the Monarchs do not necessarily have a standout strength as a team, it is notable how much they have improved from beyond the arc. Old Dominion’s 33% success rate ranks has improved by roughly five percentage points from the 2024-25 season, while they have also taken two more 3-pointers per game.

Weakness

Offensive rebounding. The improvement in shotmaking is important, as Old Dominion does not extend many possessions. Their 9.38 offensive rebounds per game rank 315th in the nation.

Three things to watch

1. Can Maryland control the ball? Coming off a 19-turnover game against an incredibly aggressive Virginia side, Old Dominion presents a great opportunity for the Terps to turn things around in possession. The Monarchs’ opponents average less than 10 turnovers per game, and they tend to play games at roughly the same pace as Maryland.

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2. The gift of home. The Terps’ holiday period is kind, with the Old Dominion game the only tussle in a twelve-day stretch. But Sunday’s game also marks the beginning of a three-game run at Xfinity Center, the Terps’ longest such streak for the rest of the season. That should give Williams and his staff more time to develop cohesion among the players.

3. Nonconference finale. Maryland has already gone 0-2 in the Big Ten, albeit against two of the better teams in the conference. A win against Old Dominion, the weakest opponent left on its schedule, could create some crucial momentum before the Terps enter the gauntlet of Big Ten play.