Maryland men’s basketball takes on Mount St. Mary’s Friday for the second consecutive year, looking to build on its season-opening win.
On Monday, the Terps opened their season with a dominant 79-49 win over Manhattan. They only led by three points at halftime, but freshman Derik Queen proved to be too much for the undersized Jaspers. Queen posted 22 points and 20 rebounds — the first Maryland freshman to ever do so — in his first collegiate game.
Friday’s game will begin at 8 p.m. and air on Big Ten Network.
Mount St. Mary’s (1-0, 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)
2023 record: 13-19, 9-11 MAAC
Head coach Donny Lind is in his first season with the Jaspers, spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach at University of North Carolina Greensboro. Prior to his stint at UNC Greensboro, Lind was an assistant coach at Radford, where he won back-to-back Big South regular season titles in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Mount St. Mary’s has gotten off to a strong start this season, winning its season opener against Notre Dame of Maryland, 98-62, on Monday.
Last season, Maryland beat Mount St. Mary’s, 68-53.
Players to watch
Dallas Hobbs, sophomore guard, 6-foot-1, No. 8 — Hobbs is the Mountaineers’ second-highest returning scorer from last season, and he played like it in their first game of the season. Against Notre Dame of Maryland, Hobbs posted a team-high 17 points and five assists in just 23 minutes. While he shot 7-of-13 from the field, he went just 1-of-5 from three and turned the ball over six times.
Last season, Hobbs started in 11 of 26 appearances, averaging 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Jedy Cordilia, senior forward, 6-foot-9, No. 14 — Cordilia is the only consistent starter from last season to return this year. In 2023-24, he started in 29 of 30 appearances and averaged 6.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game.
On Monday, Cordilia went 5-of-6 from the field for 14 points. He also posted 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Dola Adebayo, redshirt junior forward, 6-foot-8, No. 4 — Adebayo has been waiting for his turn to step into a starting role over the last two seasons, and shined as a starter when given the chance. On Monday, Adebayo finished second on the team with 16 points, while also recording seven rebounds and a block.
Last season, Adebayo averaged 6.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in 32 games (13 starts).
Strength
Size. Of Mount St. Mary’s top seven most-played players Monday, three are at least 6-foot-7, with Cordilia standing at 6-foot-9. The Mountaineers used this to their advantage against Notre Dame of Maryland, outrebounding it 51-33 on Monday. While Maryland’s frontcourt duo of Queen and Julian Reese should still present mismatch issues, the Mountaineers are much more prepared for them than Manhattan.
Weakness
Roster turnover. Four of Mount St. Mary’s five starters from last season moved on, with two transferring to Georgia, one transferring to the University of Illinois Chicago and the other graduating. As a result, Hobbs and Adebayo stepped into starting roles alongside Xavier Lipscomb, who played just two games last year, and Carmelo Pacheco, who spent his freshman season at UVA Wise.
Three things to watch
1. Can the Terps improve from three? Maryland shot just 28.9% from three last season, which ranked second to last in the Big Ten. The Terps were even worse from three on Monday, shooting 5-of-23 (21.7%). Head coach Kevin Willard placed a great emphasis on 3-point shooting in the offseason, bringing in Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Selton Miguel, but Terps fans have yet to see improvement.
2. Will DeShawn Harris-Smith be more involved? A highly-touted recruit coming out of high school, Harris-Smith is expected to take a big step this season as one of two returners in the starting lineup. But he scored just six points on 3-of-8 shooting against an inferior Manhattan team. Friday provides Harris-Smith with another opportunity to display any improvement.
3. Will Miguel retain his starting role? Miguel started and played 15 minutes in the first half on Monday, but did not see the floor in the second half. Willard said postgame that Miguel was on a short leash after suffering an ankle sprain over the weekend, but his complete inactivity in the second half is a bit strange nonetheless. Whether Miguel retains his starting role and plays in a limited fashion again will be something to monitor.
