Maryland’s basketball program is firmly entrenched in the Big Ten with annual expectations. That’s a testament to how well Mark Turgeon has done in College Park. Turgeon had the unenviable task of following arguably the most popular coach in Maryland history.
Gary Williams went to two Final Fours and won a national championship at Maryland. It’s not unreasonable to say that Williams walks on water.
It’s why you can’t sell short what Turgeon has done at Maryland.
The Terps are picked to finish 5th in the Big Ten and starts the season ranked 21st in the country.
Maryland lost Aaron Wiggins and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Darryl Morsell but Eric Ayala tested the NBA waters and decided to come back to College Park. The Terps will also get a boost from a host of transfers.
Fatts Russell (Rhode Island), Xavier Green (ODU), Pavlo Dziuba (Arizona State), Ian Martinez (Utah) and Qudus Wahab (Georgetown).
Obviously the two names who jumped out the most is Russell and Wahab.
Russell fills a need at point guard. At times last season, Maryland looked like a team that had guys who could bring up the ball but not a true point guard. Russell checks that box. As Turgeon indicated at media day, Russell won’t be asked to carry the scoring burden like he was asked at Rhode Island but there are going to be nights where you’re going to see that Rhode Island Ram version of Russell.
Wahab provides the Terps with a post defender and rim protector in a conference that still has what we think of as traditional post players. There are nights where Wahab will have to cover Hunter Dickinson (Michigan). Dickinson is a big who can score around the basket and is an above average passer. On another night, he’ll be covering Kofi Cockburn (Illinois). Cockburn is a physical player in the lane and in the post.
Like Russell, Wahab won’t be asked to play the same role he was going to ask at his last stop. At Georgetown, Wahab not only was he asked to be a screen and dive big man but coach Patrick Ewing threw the ball in the post to Wahab. At times, Wahab was the focal point of the offense. He won’t be asked to carry the same burden at Maryland.
On paper, Maryland should continue to be solid on defense. Last season, the Terps had the double the post a lot because of the lack of size. With Wahab, the Terps should be able to cover the post without doubling. If Ayala has improved defensively, Maryland will be formidable on that end of the floor. Russell can put pressure on the ball. Donta Scott has the versatility to guard multiple positions.
Other Notes:
- The Terps will host Virginia Tech on Dec 1st in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
- Maryland will face three Atlantic 10 teams (George Mason, George Washington and Richmond)
