Maryland Basketball: Takeaways from 2022 HOF Tip-Off win over Miami

In the championship game of the 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off, Maryland Basketball rode a balanced offensive attack to a blowout win over Miami.

The first year of Kevin Willard’s tenure with Maryland Basketball is off to an excellent start. After opening 3-0, the Terrapins traveled to Connecticut for the four-team 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off. Following a decisive 28-point win over Saint Louis, Maryland defeated Miami in the event’s championship game, 88-70. It was the Terps’ fifth consecutive victory by 18 or more points. Here are three takeaways from the win over the Hurricanes.

1. A Balanced Attack

For the second consecutive game, Maryland had five players reach double figures in scoring. Donta Scott led the effort with 24 points on 9-12 from the field. Opening the season shooting 47% from three on over three attempts per game, Scott will be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses with his inside-out ability. Throw in the perimeter trio of Jahmir Young, Don Carey, and Hakim Hart plus the promising growth of JuJu Reese and Maryland has a lot of weapons to keep track of.

Maryland torched the nets as a team, shooting 60% from the field and 42.9% from three. They have converted 40% of their three-point attempts in three of their five games this season. Willard has emphasized getting everyone on the court involved in the offense and not being afraid of the perimeter shot. That multi-dimensional approach will make them difficult to gameplan against moving forward because it won’t be as simple as shutting down one player.

2. JuJu Reese’s Emergence

JuJu Reese finished with 17 points on 7-8 from the field against Miami. He has now scored at least 15 points in three of Maryland’s five games this season after failing to reach that mark once in 32 games as a freshman. The former top-60 recruit is currently averaging 13.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Reese’s emergence in the beginning of his sophomore campaign is an extremely welcome development for a Maryland team that is lacking frontcourt depth.

After the coach who recruited him left the program partway through his freshman season and his sister transferred from UMD to LSU, JuJu Reese had every reason to leave Maryland. He stayed and is now an important piece to the Terrapins’ surprising start this season.

3. Maryland Is Ahead of Schedule

Maryland Basketball was a near-unanimous selection to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings this season. With a solid 2023 recruiting class on the way, the Terrapins were pegged as being a couple years away from a truly competitive team. It seems like no one told Kevin Willard that. The Terps are currently 5-0 with blowouts against two top-40 teams and reside in the top 25 of both KenPom and the AP Poll. The culture has shifted at UMD. Each game this season has been characterized by dynamic offense, active defense, and hustle plays. It looks like Maryland Basketball might be more competitive this year than we all thought.

The Terrapins were not expected to sniff the AP Top 25 in 2022-23. What Kevin Willard has done in such a short time is certainly remarkable. The early returns suggest he is already making good on his pledge to bring Maryland back to national relevance.