Maryland Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Terrapins

By Brian Rauf | Sep 17, 2018

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 16: Maryland Terrapins cheerleaders perform during the game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Maryland Terrapins in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 16, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

5 of 5

EAST LANSING, MI – JANUARY 4: Bruno Fernando #23 of the Maryland Terrapins drives baseline defended by Xavier Tilman #23 of the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

Season outlook

Maryland’s starting lineup should be able to compete with any in the country, but the bench is a major question mark. This roster is full of youth and Maryland’s season will largely be determined by the ability of those young players, particularly Jalen Smith and Andrew Wiggins, to make significant impacts.

This is a proud program with a fan base that expects to be competing for Big Ten titles on a consistent basis, so the lack of postseason success – especially missing the NCAA Tournament last year – has really turned up the heat surrounding Mark Turgeon.

The Terps have plenty of talent despite the youth and, in a down year for the Big Ten, the opportunity is there for them to have a major bounce-back season. Anything less than a tournament berth will be considered a major failure for them.

Next. Preseason Big Ten Rankings for 2018-19. dark

Luckily, I expect Maryland to return to the Big Dance. They’ll through the usual ups-and-downs that come with having a young team (beating good teams and losing to some teams they shouldn’t) but I think they’ll finish among the top four or five teams in conference play.

Home/Maryland Terrapins