The offensive weaponry in Maryland basketball’s starting lineup gets more attention, but the Terps have been carried by their defense lately. They piled 12 steals and scored 21 points off turnovers Wednesday night in a 71-65 win at Michigan, allowing them to do something difficult: beat a top Big Ten team on the road while shooting 38.1 percent.

Maryland (23-7 overall, 13-6 Big Ten) held  No. 17 Michigan to a season-low 22 points in the first half and never trailed during the final 32 minutes, staying on pace in the chase for a Big Ten tournament double-bye and a high NCAA Tournament seed.

“There’s a reason they’re the second-best defense in our league while playing really only five guys in their rotation. We were static, didn’t finish around the rim when we had opportunities,” Michigan coach Dusty May said.

Kevin Willard was dialed in on defense, switching looks to keep Michigan off-balance. Several Wolverines passes looked like they were intended for Maryland’s players.

“They changed defenses, running zone to man, man to zone, zone. So it comes down to concepts and principles, and we didn’t play with great discipline. Against a defense like this, the one-handed hook passes [won’t work],” May said. “When we penetrated, they collapsed on Vlad [Goldin], and we just didn’t find the penetration reactions that we needed against a team like that. But credit Maryland. They keep you off balance.”

Goldin, the 7-foot-1 250-pound Russian import who starred for May’s Final Four team at FAU, has been one of the Big Ten’s most consistent big men. He made a big night with 20 points and 15 rebounds. But led by Julian Reese, Maryland held him without a field goal in the final nine minutes.

“At the beginning of the second half, I think we just didn’t make great decisions. Then the stretch with five or six minutes left, I thought we were competing at a really high level. We were just playing a little bit sped up and fast. We just looked excitable during that stretch and tried to force it into Vlad, who had it going. Credit Maryland, they collapsed on him,” May said.

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Maryland has held its past three opponents to an average of 61.3 points.

“They’ve got really good instincts, especially in their drop coverage. We just didn’t make great decisions. At that time, you’re weighing whether to continue to attack, try to get it inside, and find threes early, or do you slow it down and get organized? Obviously, I should have stopped this and gotten more organized in those possessions.”

May said Maryland’s changing defenses confused Goldin.

“Sometimes they came right away, and other times they came late. They were really just choosing different guys to come off of. It wasn’t as if they were coming off the passer or coming from the opposite big. So, Vlad didn’t really know when or where they were coming from. When he got deep position, or when we got it to him on the elbow and Danny dove, I thought we generated some really good looks,” he said. “Other than his last possession, the dust settled, and we probably needed to get to an uphill handoff. He had it going, and I don’t know whose defender came from behind and stopped him. Then his guy was able to get a loose ball for a jump ball.”

Michigan has hit a dip as the season winds down. It was their third defeat in five games, along with losses to Michigan State and Illinois, following a six-game winning streak.

“Usually, the dips occur when you’re playing really good teams. So when you look at our schedule, iwe knew this would be a challenge. We put ourselves in position where all these games were where you need them to be. But when you look at the standings, typically, the dip coincides with the schedule. I know Michigan State’s dip was a West Coast road trip. Illinois’s dip was when they played the top teams on the road,” he said.

“Maryland’s dip has been buzzer-beaters on the road against really good teams. So, I don’t know. I’m sure there have been times when you don’t play well for a week, depending on who you’re playing and where you’re going.”

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