Maryland Basketball: 3 takeaways from Terrapins win against Quinnipiac

Maryland men’s basketball defeated 83-79 Quinnipiac to open up its season at Xfinity Center. Let’s take a look at how the team played.

After almost two years without fans in the Xfinity Center, Maryland Basketball came away with an 83-69 victory against the Quinnipiac Bobcats. The Terrapins (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) dominated in the first half and slowed things down in the second, while Quinnipiac (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) came out of the gates slow and turnover-prone which led to a big deficit quickly but were able to claw back in later. Here are some of the key takeaways from the game.

1. Qudus Wahab is as advertised

The transfer from Georgetown who was named to the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List put on a clinic inside against Quinnipiac who lacks a lot of size outside of senior forward Kevin Marfo.

Standing at 6’11 240, Wahab was fed all the time in the post, and finished the night off with 17 points and six rebounds. After lacking a true big man last year, Wahab is going to come in and give the Terrapins everything the team needed, and more come later in the year.

2. Tons of depth

Maryland really showcased how the team can beat top teams in the Big Ten like Illinois and Michigan this year. Anyone can go out and perform on a nightly basis for them, as six players scored in double digits with Ayala, Reese, Russell, and Scott, and Wahab all can go out and do different things for this team this year. Whether it is Russell running the half-court sets, Reese pushing the tempo, Ayala hitting timely and tough shots, or Wahab inside, the Terrapins can attack opponents from every direction.

3. Lack of intensity at points

After the first half where Maryland did dominate 41-26, Quinnipiac actually outscored Maryland 44-42 in the second half. Even to begin the game Maryland did not seem like it could just run up and down the court against Quinnipiac like the expectation was. Quinnipiac was shooting themselves in the foot with a lot of turnovers and not crashing the glass.

Quinnipiac competed very well for its standards against a No. 21 ranked Terrapins team in College Park. Maybe the terrapins were letting the foot off the gas, but their offense in the half-court struggled at points and the team relied on fast break opportunities and mistakes by Quinnipiac. Things may need to be turned around once Big Ten play comes up.

Maryland’s next game will be against George Washington, November 11 back at the Xfinity Center. The team needs to show more aggression and better overall team play instead of relying on mistakes by the opponent if the team looks to compete for a Big Ten and possibly national championship this year. The team has talent, head coach Mark Turgeon just needs to unlock it.