The Xfinity Center may not have been packed, but the 13,793 fans who showed up to watch Maryland-Ohio State (83-59) men’s basketball game Wednesday night may have been the most boisterous.

Lured by free T-shirts, the students boisterously booed the Buckeyes, as they usually do any opponent, but they roared when former star Greivis Vásquez was introduced as an honorary team captain and stood on their feet as a football group Recruits led by Spalding quarterback Malik Washington were shown on the video screen above the field.

And it seemed that the students’ enthusiasm rubbed off on their older classmates, as many of the adults also danced during breaks and stood up from their chairs at exciting moments. The infectious atmosphere wasn’t lost on Maryland coach Kevin Willard.

“The old people stand up and cheer,” Willard said with a smile. “I’ve always said that when students are out, they force everyone else to get up and go. I thought the students and the atmosphere were phenomenal from the start. This building is special when it rocks. We didn’t do it last year because when you hit the back of the rim every time you miss, it’s really hard to cheer for someone. I thought the student section was phenomenal, I thought the crowd was great, and you need that in Big Ten games.”

Here are three observations from Wednesday’s conference-opening win:

Ja’Kobi Gillespie rose to the challenge

The junior point guard highlighted his 23-point, four-assist performance when he skated to Ohio State junior shooting guard Evan Mahaffey, stepped back to knock down a three-pointer from the left wing and stared at the Buckeyes’ bench. But that wasn’t Gillespie’s first thought.

“I wasn’t planning on shooting it at first,” he admitted. “But then I saw that he had fallen. So I thought, ‘I have to shoot it,’ and I knocked it down.”

Wednesday’s game was the reason Maryland (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) recruited Gillespie from Belmont. Gillespie defeated Ohio State (5-3, 0-1) in the first half by scoring 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting, including 3 of 6 efficient shots from the 3-point line. He ran the half-court offense and ran the press excellently (more on that later), showing why he was highly sought after in the transfer portal.

Gillespie, the perfect teammate, tries to get his teammates involved. But after scoring a total of 13 points in easy wins over Bucknell on Nov. 27 and Alcorn State on Sunday, Willard said he threw down the gauntlet to Gillespie.

“I challenged Ja’Kobi,” he admitted. “I think Ja’Kobi can be the best guard in this conference, but you have to go out there every night in this conference and prove it. It was really the first time I thought he was playing with an edge, a real edge. He played well against Marquette (24 points and four rebounds), but tonight I thought he was trying to say, “Hey, I’m as good as anyone in this conference.”

Maryland crippled Ohio State’s offense by shutting out Bruce Thornton

The junior point guard is listed as a “team leader” in the Buckeyes’ game notes. And he’s proven that so far, leading into Wednesday’s game on offense with 16.4 and 6.6 goals and assists, respectively.

Thornton has been great in his last two starts, collecting 25 points and nine assists in a 102-69 win over Green Bay on Nov. 25 and 24 points and 10 assists in a 91-90 overtime loss to Pittsburgh on Friday.

But he struggled against the Terps, who used Gillespie and second-year shooting guard Rodney Rice to force Thornton to get rid of the ball. Willard said the goal was to invite Thornton to score without involving his teammates.

“Our whole goal wasn’t to give them a 3-point shot in the first half,” he said. “If we let Bruce score 20 points against us, we would have handled it well. You can’t have (fifth-year small forward Micah) Parrish and (freshman point guard John) Mobley (Jr.) and those guys shooting 3s. Bruce Thornton is way too good at what they do. So we stayed home with the shooters, stayed home with the big boys and just let him try to finish. Sometimes it’s not rocket science. It’s just a matter of depriving a point guard of his great opportunities.”

Thornton managed just three points on one of two shots, zero assists and two turnovers in the first half. He finished the game with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, a season-low two assists and two turnovers.

Gillespie said he believes the team’s defensive performance contributed to its success on offense, citing “our defense as a team.” So we guarded him as a team and just stopped him. And then offensively I can just trust all of my teammates and they get me involved and I get them involved.”

Maryland’s Rodney Rice (left) is fouled by Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton on a three-point shot in the second half. Maryland defeated Ohio State 83-59 at the Xfinity Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland head coach Kevin Willard directs his team in the first half against Ohio State. Maryland defeated Ohio State 83-59 at the Xfinity Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Tafara Gapare (from left) grabs an offensive rebound against Ohio State’s Devin Royal and Austin Parks during the first half. Maryland defeated Ohio State 83-59 at the Xfinity Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Selton Miguel (left) shoots against Ohio’s Austin Parks (right) during the first half. Maryland defeated Ohio State 83-59 at the Xfinity Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Tafara Gapare (left) fakes a shot against Ohio State’s Sean Stewart (right) and then dunks in the first half. Maryland defeated Ohio State 83-59 at the Xfinity Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Derik Queen dunks in the second half against Ohio State. Maryland defeated Ohio State 83-59 at the Xfinity Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Tafara Gapare dunks against Ohio State in the second half. Maryland defeated Ohio State 83-59 at the Xfinity Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Julian Reese scores during a basketball game at the XFINITY Center over Austin Parks, Ohio. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Tafara Gapare, right, dunks over Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr. during the first half of the basketball game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Julian Reese scores during a basketball game at the XFINITY Center over Austin Parks, Ohio. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Derik Queen shoots against Ohio State’s Austin Parks during a basketball game at the XFINITY Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Julian Reese (left) and Ja’Kobi Gillespie (right) swarm Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton in the first half on Wednesday night. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Rodney Rice scores with a behind-the-back shot during the first half of the game against Ohio State. (Kennth K. Lam/employee)

Maryland’s Tafara Gapare, right, dunks over Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr. during the first half of the basketball game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Tafara Gapare, right, dunks over Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr. during the first half of the basketball game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland’s Tafara Gapare, right, dunks over Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr. during the first half on Dec. 4, 2024, in College Park. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

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Maryland’s Rodney Rice (left) is fouled by Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton on a three-point shot in the second half. Maryland defeated Ohio State 83-59 at the Xfinity Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

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