Big Ten Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season
Terrapins . 7. team. 439. . .
Maryland basketball made the best of things in 2020-21, finishing 17-14 on the season and 9-11 in Big Ten basketball action. They’ll look to return to NCAA Tournament prominence without Aaron Wiggins (NBA), Jairus Hamilton (Western Kentucky) and Darryl Morsell (Marquette).
Eric Ayala, Hakim Hart and Donta Scott are the leading names that return for the Terrapins while transfers Qudus Wahab (Georgetown) and Fatts Russell (Rhode Island) will look to fill the void left by their key departures.
Ayala is the leading return scorer for Maryland basketball after pouring in 15.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.2 spg in a breakout performance. He’ll look to up the ante on the wing with Wiggins (14.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg) off to the NBA.
Scott should continue to improve as a perimeter threat after a dazzling display of dunks kept fans excited during the 2020-21 season. He’s a 6-foot-7 forward that averaged 11.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 2.0 apg while knocking down 43.8 of his shots from deep.
Hart is set to become a full-time starter after starting in 19 of his 31 appearances in 2020-21. He produced 7.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 1.9 apg while shooting 33 percent from 3-point land. He’s another prospect on the wing to keep an eye out for the Terrapins.
Russell and Wahab are the wildcard key additions. Russell made a name for himself in the Atlantic 10 basketball ranks and finished out his career with Rams averaging 14.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.5 apg and 1.9 spg. Wahab should make an impact right away down low and as a high post threat out of Georgetown. He put up 12.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 1.6 bpg in 2020-21 and should be quite the two-way presence around the rim.
Maryland basketball will have some adjustments to make with some key losses but their additions give them another chance to keep their NCAA Tournament streak alive.