Maryland men’s basketball’s new-look roster looked frighteningly familiar in its underwhelming Saturday night loss to Georgetown.
The Terps lacked inspiration off the bounce in the 86-74 defeat and struggled to innovate while swinging the rock.
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“We define shots by medals: gold medal, silver medal, bronze medal, no medal,” head coach Buzz Williams said. “We didn’t have near the gold attempts that you need to have in order to win on the road.”
Maryland’s rebounding was notably better than last season’s bout against the Hoyas, but it did little to affect the final result. While the Hoyas played a flawless game, the Terps’ next test against No. 6 Virginia won’t give them any breaks.
Maryland will face the Cavaliers at 8 p.m. on Friday. The matchup will take place in the Xfinity Center and will stream on Peacock.
No. 6 Virginia Cavaliers (4-0, 0-0 ACC)
2025-26 Record: 30-6, 15-3 ACC
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After ripping through ACC competition but falling short of expectations in the NCAA tournament last season, head coach Ryan Odom enters his second year at the helm with hefty expectations. Despite roster turnover, Virginia has managed to maintain national relevance after the departure of former head coach Tony Bennett.
The Cavaliers have come out to a blazing start in the 2026-27 season, beating each opponent by at least 19 points. Their marquee win thus far came in a 91-72 steamrolling of then-No. 12 Arkansas in a neutral-site game in Washington D.C.
Players to watch
Thijs De Ridder, sophomore forward, 6-foot-9, No. 28 — De Ridder was slated to be one of Virginia’s best players heading into this season, but his performance over the last four games has catapulted him to a different level. The forward has made 57.1% of his 3-point attempts while averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game.
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The Belgian native is crucial to the Cavaliers’ success on both ends of the floor: he leads the team with 33 rebounds and is second with 12 steals. De Ridder’s talent on the glass could cause another heated boards battle for Maryland’s frontcourt.
Sam Lewis, senior guard, 6-foot-7, No. 5 — Virginia’s playing time leader has logged 109 minutes through four games for a reason. Lewis is averaging 15 points per game this season on the back of a stellar 40.9% 3-point shooting and a team-second-highest 22 3-point attempts. He is a massive threat in close game scenarios and has made all 15 of his free throws this season.
Chance Mallory, sophomore guard, 5-foot-10, No. 1 — The way this guard looks and plays may give Terps fans Diggy Coit flashbacks. Despite his short stature, Mallory has found great success beyond the arc, shooting 10-for-23 on 3-pointers this season. Mallory is not the defensive liability that Coit was last season, however, as he leads the Cavaliers with 3.3 steals per game.
Strength
First-half dominance. With Maryland’s recent slow starts, this strength could eat it alive on Friday. Virginia has outscored its opponents, 188-116, in first halves this season, mainly on the back of large offensive explosions. The Terps went down by 16 points in the first half against Georgetown and cannot allow themselves to fall to the same fate.
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Weakness
Bench points. While Williams has stayed true to his “hockey subs” philosophy by using a 10-man rotation, Odom has implemented a very different approach. The Cavaliers generally utilize a seven-man rotation, leading to their 22.8 bench points per game, ranking them 229th in the nation. If the Terps can properly defend Virginia’s starters, it may not have a fallback plan.
Three things to watch
1. Will Williams shake up the starting five? While this season’s starting lineup should stay more consistent than the last squad, multiple starters may have found themselves on the chopping block early on. Mike McNair Jr. — Maryland’s go-to deep shooter — had a scoreless performance in 22 minutes, and Andre Mills lacked efficiency on 4-for-15 shooting.
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Freshman Kaden House may find his way into the starting lineup in place of McNair after impressing late against the Hoyas. The guard had 13 points off the bench, including a monstrous slam in garbage time.
2. Can the Terps shoot from deep? Williams’ teams have never been known for their 3-point shooting ability, but Saturday’s showing was a sight to behold. Despite an improved backcourt, Maryland went 3-for-20 from beyond the arc against Georgetown. That included a stretch of 14 straight misses from deep that spanned nearly two hours of real time.
3. The crowd factor. After soft-launching their new roster in the home opener against Bucknell, the Terps are slated to get their first packed house of the season against a local powerhouse. While Capital One Arena provided an electric environment, Friday’s setting should provide a much more lopsided crowd effect during momentum.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
