Maryland Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Terrapins

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MARCH 23: The Maryland Terrapins bench celebrates as they take on the LSU Tigers during the second half of the game in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Vystar Memorial Arena on March 23, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

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Projected Backcourt Starters

Eric Ayala | 6-foot-5 | 205 lbs | Sophomore

Without a doubt, Eric Ayala is either the best or second-best shooter on the Maryland Terrapins roster. In 2018-19 Ayala was second on the Terrapins with a 57.4% 3-point attempt rate and a 40.6% 3-point percentage. He played a large role on a squad that finished as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the Big Ten. Ayala should improve in his sophomore season, with an opportunity to handle the ball even more and show that hs lights-out shooting from deep was no fluke. With Bruno Fernando out the door, there will be more shots to go around. This means Ayala can show off more on-ball scoring ability and improve further upon his 1.3 assist=to-turnover ratio.

Anthony Cowan | 6-feet | 170 lbs | Senior

It is obvious that the leading scorer of the team is an impact player but it is the way Cowan scores that helps the Maryland Terrapins so much. He served as the most energetic offensive force in Maryland’s backcourt last season. The 6-foot guard put up a career-best 18.0 points per 40 minutes. He is one of the few players on the roster who can get buckets from the outside (33.7% on 6.1 3-point attempts per game) or in the paint (80.6% on 4.6 free throw attempts per game). He led the team in free throw attempts but overall had a rough shooting year. Cowan figures to bounce back this year as he will have more space to attack the rim–again, no Fernando in the paint–and his shooting gets back to his usual standards. Cowan is coming off of a year in which he made the All-Big Ten team and the Big Ten All-Defense team but expect him to be even better in 2020.

Darryl Morsell | 6-foot-5 | 200 lbs | Junior

Morsell was one of the quintessential glue guys on the Maryland Terrapins roster. In 2018-19 he took a small step back in terms of usage rate on offense but still improved while showing off hid versatility. Morsell was the only player on the Maryland roster with at least 100 rebounds, 60 assists, 15 blocks, and 20 steals. Expect that type of production from Morsell this upcoming season but perhaps with an uptick in both 2-point and 3-point shooting. He shot a career-high 51.7% from 2 and 29.0% from 3 in 2019 but will have the opportunity to improve upon that, feasting on open looks off of Ayala and Cowan.

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