Maryland men’s basketball started its 2023-24 campaign 1-3 after a tough early-season slate, falling to respectable opponents in Davidson, UAB and then-No. 21 Villanova.
Head coach Kevin Willard and the Terps avoided similar issues this season, with home games against Manhattan, Mount St. Mary’s and Florida A&M scheduled to begin the year.
The Terps’ comfortability and dominance over these smaller schools reached its peak Monday night, when they dismantled Florida A&M from the get-go in a 84-53 win at Xfinity Center.
“I wanted to have some home games [to start the year],” Willard said. “We’ll probably do the same thing next year, besides the Georgetown game. … Last year, we just didn’t have control of the schedule.”
Unlike its first two games, Maryland looked like the superior team from the jump. Derik Queen immediately drove to the basket and earned a trip to the free throw line. After his lone make, the Terps applied a full-court press Florida A&M could not break en route to a 10-second violation.
Maryland controlled the game in two primary ways: its press and size.
The Terps hounded the Rattlers over the first few minutes, forcing another 10-second violation less than two minutes after the first, while Queen and DeShawn Harris-Smith each recorded steals. Coupled with two offensive rebounds and eight points in the paint, Maryland led, 15-0, three minutes into the first half, and the game already seemed out of reach for Florida A&M.
But the Rattlers put together a 12-2 run in response, forcing the Terps to maintain their pace of play.
“I think once we got up 15-0, the bench guys didn’t come out with the sam intensity that the starting group came in with,” Willard said. “It was a little bit of a lull on me probably playing too many guys.”
While its defense remained solid, Maryland’s offense reached a dead spot, as neither team scored during a nearly six-minute span midway through the first half. The Rattlers continued to turn the ball over, and finished the game with 22 turnovers, while the Terps went cold from 3-point range, shooting just 8-of-29 on the night.
Harris-Smith finally ended the drought with a free throw, and the floodgates opened for Maryland’s offense. The Terps outscored Florida A&M, 18-5, in the final five minutes of the first half to secure a commanding 19-point lead at the break.
Julian Reese scored eight of the Terps’ final 23 points in the half, as his team-high 12 first-half points eclipsed his total in each of the first two games.
He looked like the player fans have seen over the last two seasons for the first time this year against Florida A&M. Reese corralled rebounds over multiple defenders, finished through double teams and backed smaller players down with ease on his way to a one-handed floater or hook shot. He finished the game with 21 points, nine rebounds and a block.
Selton Miguel also put forth his best game of the season, recording 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
“He’s getting there,” Willard said of Miguel. “It’s his third school, his third offense, his third coach. So, he did this last year. I have a lot of confidence in Selt[on].”
The clear talent disparity resumed in the second half, as a swift 10-0 run to begin the half was all Maryland needed to cruise to a convincing victory.
Three things to know
1. Harris-Smith has yet to find his rhythm. Prior to Monday night, Harris-Smith averaged just five points per game on 41.7% shooting from the field. His scoring struggles continued against Florida A&M, as he posted five points on 1-of-4 shooting from the field.
2. Rodney Rice continues to impress. Rice has proven to be a reliable scoring option off the bench this season, something the team struggled with last year. Rice entered the game averaging a team-high 20 points per game, and while he only scored 10 points Monday, he did so in just 15 minutes and made multiple contested, off-the-dribble shots.
3. A date with No. 15 Marquette on deck. While Monday night produced an expected result, it was important for the Terps to dominate Florida A&M to continue building the confidence needed to take down a top-15 team. Marquette is 2-0 to start the season with wins over Stony Brook and George Mason.
