Big Ten Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season
439. . . . Terrapins . 6. team
Maryland is the only program in the whole conference that underwent a coaching change in the offseason. Therefore, they might be the most intriguing team to a national audience this season.
Ranked in the top 25 entering the season, Maryland underwhelmed in the early days before the program and Mark Turgeon suddenly parted ways in early December, handing the keys to Danny Manning. He did the best he could to right the ship, but the Terps missed the postseason.
Into the void steps Kevin Willard, maybe the most high-profile coaching hire of the offseason. Willard turned Seton Hall into a consistent NCAA Tournament contender, going 225-161 with the Pirates while making five NCAA Tournament trips, though never a trip into the second weekend.
Still, Willard is someone who has experience working at a school where basketball is king among the sports. His fit at College Park feels like a good one, though time will ultimately tell.
He’ll have a senior-laden squad in his first year, so that will help the transition. Arguably the four best players on the rosters are seniors, including Donta Scott and Donald Carey.
Carey and Scott should start, along with fellow seniors Jahmir Young and Hakim Hart. Julian Reese will likely round out the starting five. It’s a solid crew, even if this year’s team doesn’t have the ceiling last year’s team once had, with Fatts Russell, Eric Ayala, and Qudus Wahab departed.
Young could be the key for this team. The transfer was a big scorer for Charlotte, averaging 19.6 points per game last season. If he can keep that up at the next level of play, Maryland should be able to do better than some prognostications.
Maryland probably has the biggest range of possibilities in the conference this season as its roster and coaching turnover is met with a senior-laden squad in a conference that feels more open this season. This team will be commanding attention all year long.