Recap: Michigan takes down Maryland, 79-66, in Big Ten tournament quarterfinal

Game summary

Michigan bounced back from an early deficit and overcame Juwan Howard's second-half ejection as the Wolverines pulled away from Maryland late in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal, 79-66. 

Mike Smith had a team-high 18 points and set a Big Ten tournament record with 15 assists, Franz Wagner and Eli Brooks each scored 16 and Chaundee Brown 10 for Michigan (21-3, 15-3 Big Ten). Eric Ayala scored 19, Daryll Morsell 16 and Aaron Wiggins 11 for Maryland (17-14, 10-12).

Michigan closes out Maryland in Big Ten tournament quarterfinal

Mike Smith goes to the line and hits a pair of free throws after the break, pushing the lead to 74-61, then hits a jumper on the next possession.

Aaron Wiggins hits a much-needed 3-pointer for the Terps as we're under the two-minute mark. Eli Brooks answers with a 3 for Michigan, his fourth of the game, and that'll probably do it for this one.

FINAL: Michigan 79, Maryland 66 

Michigan gains 11-point lead with time running out

Eric Ayala stops the 8-0 Michigan run with a 3-pointer out of the break; Jairus Hamilton does the same on Maryland's next possession, and all of a sudden, it's a 7-point game once again.

Maryland gets another defensive stop as Ayala draws a shooting foul on Franz Wagner at the other end. He hits one of two, making it a 65-59 game.

Eli Brooks hits a beautiful reverse layup to snap the 7-0 Maryland run, which Ayala promptly answers with a layup of his own at the other end. 

Then it's Chaundee Brown hitting a layup and pushing the lead to 8, as the whistle blows to break up some verbal confrontation on the court. 

Mike Smith gets some space along the perimeter and hits a big 3 to make it an 11-point game with time starting to run out on the Terps.

Media timeout: Michigan 72, Maryland 61 (2:49 2nd)

Juwan Howard ejected during TV timeout as Michigan puts foot on gas

Michigan head coach Juwan Howard and Maryland coach Mark Turgeon get into a war of words during the media timeout, which leads to somewhat of a physical confrontation that lands Howard a double-technical and an ejection.

Eric Ayala hits one of two free throws after the technical, making it 57-48.

Aaron Wiggins hits layups on back-to-back possessions, and it's a 5-point game. Franz Wagner then misses on the other end, as things are starting to look a little dicey dicey for the Wolverines.

Michigan reverses the momentum with a second-chance 3-pointer by Eli Brooks from the corner; that's followed up by a Brooks layup and a Wagner 3-pointer that pushes the lead to 13.

Media timeout: Michigan 65, Maryland 52 (7:21 2nd)

Michigan grabs largest lead of game behind pair of triples

Michigan's defense gets a stop out of the break, and Franz Wagner makes Maryland pay with a driving bucket on the other end to give the Wolverines a 51-42 lead with a 7-0 run.

Media timeout: Michigan 51, Maryland 42 (14:42 2nd)

Daryll Morsell hits an and-1 layup and gets the free throw to make it 51-45, Michigan.

Both offenses go cold for the next few minutes, but Eli Brooks is able to get a steal on the defensive end and get Morsell to foul him on the fast break. That's Morsell's third personal.

Morsell makes up for his foul with a steal, then hits a layup to draw within 4.

Brooks answers with a 3, and Wagner matches it on the next possession to open things up in a hurry for the Wolverines.

Media timeout: Michigan 57, Maryland 47 (10:44 2nd)

Michigan jumps on Maryland out of half, takes 7-point lead

Maryland's Darryl Morsell hits a layup off a turnover to start the half, which Hunter Dickinson answers with a layup on the other end to make it 42-40, Michigan.

Mike Smith hits a second-chance jumper before Morsell and Dickinson trade inside buckets again, then Smith drills a 3-pointer to give Michigan a 5-point lead.

Media timeout: Michigan 49, Maryland 42 (16:20 2nd)

Michigan goes on 16-2 run, takes 2-point lead before halftime

Brandon Johns Jr. hits a turnaround jumper and draws a foul, hitting the and-1 free throw to make it a 36-27 game. Johns then hits a layup, and the deficit is down to 7.

Media timeout: Maryland 36, Michigan 29 (3:37 1st)

Michigan puts together a great defensive possession as Chaundee Brown puts Maryland in a bind before the shot clock expires. Eli Brooks gets a real friendly bounce on a corner 3-pointer and Michigan has cut the deficit to 4.

Aaron Wiggins and Brandon Johns trade finishes at the rim, making it 38-34, Maryland. 

Mike Smith is rejected at the rim on a fast break after a steal, Michigan gets the rebound, and Franz Wagner finishes on a gorgeous drive. It's 38-36.

Smith goes to the rack again, this time drawing a foul that'll earn him a pair of free throws with the chance to tie the game. He hits both, and we're all tied at 38.

Smith drives with the clock running down, dishes to Wagner, and Wagner gives Michigan a 40-38 lead at half, thanks to a 16-2 run in the final 4:15.

HALFTIME: Michigan 40, Maryland 38

Maryland cranks up heat, takes 12-point lead

Jairus Hamilton drills a 3 out of the break to give Maryland a 9-point lead, which Chaundee Brown answers with a jumper in the paint.

Eric Ayala and Mike Smith then trade buckets before Ayala and Brown trade 3-pointers, as things are really picking up here in Indy. Hamilton comes right back the other way and hits a 3 of his own, pushing Maryland's lead to 10 before Ayala hits a driving layup that forces Michigan to reset the momentum.

Michigan timeout (4:38 1st)

Maryland regains momentum after Dickinson gets in foul trouble

Michigan turns it over out of the break and Darryl Morsell takes advantage with a layup on the fast break.

Hunter Dickinson gets called for a moving screen, his second personal foul, and he'll head back to the bench after subbing in just seconds ago.

Donta Scott hits a shot on the next possession, and Aaron Wiggins gets two points with a dunk to bump Maryland's lead back to 23-15.

Media timeout: Maryland 23, Michigan 15 (7:50 1st)

Michigan bounces back despite inspired Maryland attack

Galin Smith draws a foul out of the break and hits both free throws to make it 9-4. Isaiah Livers misses a deep 3 on the other end, but Austin Davis goes up and puts it back for two points.

Eric Ayala drills a 3-pointer, and the Terps offense is rolling. Livers misses a deep 3 that results in him being the only man back on a fast break, and he fouls Darryl Morsell for an and-1 layup.

Timeout Michigan (13:13 1st)

Morsell hits the free throw, and it's a 15-6 game, Maryland leads. Chaundee Brown answers with a 3 for the Wolverines.

Smith and Franz Wagner trade buckets. Michigan then gets a stop, and Davis plays a little bully-ball inside after grabbing the offensive to make it 17-13.

Mike Smith hits a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line, and it's a one-possession game.

Maryland 17, Michigan 15 (10:42 1st)

Maryland picks up early momentum vs. Michigan

Michigan gets the first offensive possession of the game, misses twice, gets two offensive rebounds, scores two points with a bucket from Hunter Dickinson.

Maryland scores on its next three shots and leads 7-2. Franz Wagner gets his first points of the game with a hard cut to the hoop and a layup.

Media timeout: Maryland 7, Michigan 4 (15:45 1st)

Pregame

Michigan owns the Big Ten regular-season title. It begins its quest Friday for a sweep of conference crowns.

Michigan faces Maryland in a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, beginning at 11:30 a.m. The top-seeded Wolverines (19-3) and eighth-seeded Terrapins (16-12) are meeting for the third time this season, with Michigan cruising to 11- and 24-point victories in the first two contests.

Michigan enters the game in somewhat of a funk, taking two of its three losses this season in the last 10 days, including one to in-state rival Michigan State.  And, though, that dropped the Wolverines to No. 4 nationally, it didn't keep them from winning the regular-season Big Ten title.

In trying to win the Big Ten tournament, Michigan might be without starting guard Eli Brooks, whose status is uncertain following an ankle injury suffered in the regular-season finale in East Lansing.

Like Michigan, Maryland also entered the Big Ten tournament with a couple of bumps — back-to-back losses to Northwestern and Penn State — but righted itself Thursday by ousting ninth-seeded Michigan State, 68-57.

Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Nolan Bianchi.

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 8 Maryland

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS

Tip-off: 11:30 a.m. Friday, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

TV/radio: BTN/950

Records: Michigan 19-3, Maryland 16-12

Outlook: Michigan swept the regular-season series with an 84-73 win on Dec. 31 in College Park and an 87-63 win on Jan. 19 in Ann Arbor. …This is the first time the two programs will face in the Big Ten tournament since Maryland joined the league in 2014-15. …Maryland picked up its first conference tournament win since 2016 with a 68-57 victory over Michigan State on Thursday.