Maryland men’s basketball cruised to another nonconference win at Xfinity Center Wednesday night, defeating Bucknell, 91-67.
The Terps are now 6-1 on the season with one more low-major game against Alcorn State before conference play begins.
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s game.
Another low-major blow out
Maryland played against four low-major programs prior to Wednesday, and none of those games were even remotely competitive. The Terps beat low-major opponents by an average of 41.5 points, with the lowest margin of victory being 30 points. All of these games were virtually over by halftime as well, as Manhattan was the only team to trail by less than 19 points (3) after the first half.
Wednesday was no different, as Bucknell fell in line with these trends. The Bisons lost by 24 points and trailed by 23 points at halftime.
Like the first four low-major games, Bucknell’s loss can be attributed to two main factors: size and turnovers.
While Bucknell outrebounded the Terps, 36-33 — as starters Noah Willaimson, 7-foot, and Ruot Bijiek, 6-foot-9, matched up well with Julian Reese and Derik Queen size wise — Maryland still won in the paint, scoring 36 points inside compared to Bucknell’s 26.
Running its press after most made baskets, Maryland forced 20 turnovers, while only committing seven their own. The Terps scored 22 points off these extra possessions, a tough disadvantage for any team to come back from.
Tafara Gapare was sensational
Georgia Tech transfer Tafara Gapare has endured a relatively quiet season thus far. He has played in all seven games as a reserve, averaging 2.7 points, two rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in the six contests prior to Wednesday. He only played three minutes in Maryland’s only two competitive games this season against No. 10 Marquette and Villanova, during which he did not record a single statistic except for a turnover.
But against Bucknell, Gapare was special. In 22 minutes of action, he posted a team-high 19 points, six rebounds and a block. He shot 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from three, and they were not all standstill shots. On multiple occasions, Gapare, listed at 6-foot-9, showed off crafty handles and fluid body movement for his size, which resulted in drives to the lane and step-back threes.
He also displayed impressive athleticism. On a fast break in the second half, Queen beautifully fed Gapare streaking toward the rim. Gapare elevated and flushed the ball over Bijiek, holding onto the rim long enough to stare down the Bison defender. And when the game was all but over with two minutes remaining, Gapare took the ball the full length of the court and dunked over two defenders, before receiving a technical foul for walking over a fallen Bison.
While Gapare has not been very involved this season, there is not much more he could have done to earn more playing time Wednesday.
Queen and Reese can co-exist
Queen, a former five-star freshman, and Reese, a two-year starter, were expected to be the Terps’ two best players heading into the season, but early struggles from Reese questioned whether the two can co-exist in the same offense, especially after Reese dropped just two points in Maryland’s loss to Marquette. But for the third consecutive game, Queen and Reese were both productive and scored double-digit points.
It seems as though head coach Kevin Willard now understands how to use both effectively. When either has a mismatch down low, the offense’s first option is to feed them. But in a normal offensive setting, Queen is often placed at the elbow, while Reese occupies the block. This gives both enough space to operate if needed and Queen a safety option if Reese’s man helps on a drive.
This strategy was clear against Villanova, when they each played arguably their best games of the season, combining for 40 points and 21 rebounds. Their success continued Wednesday, as Queen dropped 15 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes, while Reese recorded 14 points and a rebound in 19 minutes.
