Maryland Basketball: Current state of Terrapins in middle of 2021 offseason

Expectations for 2021-22

Once the off-season started, things really began to heat up and once the dominos began starting to fall into place, Terp fans such as myself became increasingly excited about what has transpired, and the work that Coach Turgeon and staff as putting in is nothing but awesome. For all you “Turge Haters” you have to be a little impressed.

Terp fans, get excited and jump for joy, as expectations and the bar for next season have been raised dramatically from last year, which included expectations from the coaching staff. But all these expectations and predictions include Wiggins and Ayala returning for their senior seasons in College Park.

So, let’s assume that both return to Maryland. This will be what the roster would look like.

Starting Lineup

Fatts Russell (14.7 PPG at Rhode Island)

Eric Ayala (15.1 PPG)

Aaron Wiggins (14.5 PPG)

Donta Scott (11.0 PPG)

Qudus Wahab (12.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG at Georgetown)

Bench: Marcus Dockery, James Graham III, Hakim Hart, Arnaud Revaz, Ike Cornish, Julian Reece, Ian Martinez.

That is not only a solid line-up, but it has depth as well.

It is not a surprise that many are talking high on the Terps:

In most Top 10 preseason polls

Terps land highest seed of Mark Turgeon era in early ESPN 2021-2022 bracketology

Keep in mind Terp fans, all this hype and high praise is based on “Mr. Maryland” Darryl Morsell not being back in College Park. I am excited for what this upcoming season holds for the Terps. I am anxious to see how Wiggins and Ayala fair in their senior year. I am anxious to see how Russell, Wahab, and Martinez fit in.

Freshman Julian Reece was one of the biggest movers in terms of ratings. He went from Top 100 to inside to Top 50, so he should be a good one for the Terps. I have to go back to Wahab and Reece for a sec, as I am very interested to see how Manning brings along both Wahab and Reece.

I am used to all the hype and everything that goes with being a Maryland fan, but for some reason, I have a different feeling going into the 2021 – 2022 season. The pieces are there in terms of players and coaching staff. The big question will be can how fast can the team gel and can Turgeon and staff coach.

There is no doubt in mind that the Terps will be contending for the Big 10 title this upcoming season and should be one of the favorites in the Big 10 Tournament. If the Terp’s can come together in  February and March, this team could easily be a top 3 seed in the dance and could make some major noise.

If Morsell is back, there will be no excuses for this Maryland basketball team and in my eyes, nothing less than a Final Four would be acceptable. So, right now things are silly, but in a few short months, it will be time for my Terp’s to get busy and take care of business.