Maryland men’s basketball has certainly been underwhelming in the first year under coach Buzz Williams.

The Terps are 10-14 and 3-10 in Big Ten play. They are on pace for one of the worst records in program history and the worst record in conference play since joining the Big Ten in the 2014-2015 season.

Williams acknowledged that he is aware of the team’s struggles this season and of how disappointed fans are — even with his media availability.

The program was surrounded by negative coverage. But with all the noise surrounding whether he was the right hire, fans turning on him in year one, questioning if his personality fit in with the program, and tickets selling for as low as $6 on Wednesday at Xfinity Center against Iowa, Maryland might finally be turning a corner.

The season is still likely lost, but it has shown signs of progress this week. That was not the case in the first 22 games, but the newfound life came at the perfect time for Williams.

The Terps earned back-to-back wins this week — exceeding their Big Ten win total in the first 11 games — against Minnesota and Iowa.

The Gophers came off an upset win against No. 10 Michigan State — who Maryland lost to by 43 — while Iowa was riding a six-game win streak and was ranked No. 25 in the national coaches poll. The Terps were 10.5-point home underdogs and hadn’t won a Quad 1 game all season, while the Hawkeyes hadn‘t lost to a Quad 3 or 4 opponent.

Still, the Terps led for over 25 minutes and knocked off the Hawkeyes for their best win of the season.

“[To] get your teeth kicked in a lot, you have to take what comes with that,” Williams said after Wednesday’s win against Iowa. “It’s been happening at Maryland men’s basketball the last six and a half months, but I do appreciate their willingness to keep trying. We’ll have to do better in our results, but in the work, I think that some of that was shown [on] Sunday and tonight.”

The biggest reason for the Terps’ recent wins has been the play of their backcourt, especially the young duo of Andre Mills and Darius Adams.

Both have been more aggressive in attacking the rim and it has worked in their favor. Mills has scored in double figures in five of his last six games and posted a career high 24 points in the win over Iowa. Adams has reached double figures in three of his last four while providing an efficient 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting against the Hawkeyes.

“If [Mills is] getting downhill one time, then I’m gonna get downhill the next time,” Adams said Wednesday. “We’re just playing off each other. He had a couple of good baskets in the first half. I started off in the second half. So just playing off each other, we’re together every day after practice, being competitive with each other.”

Maryland’s next three games offer a chance to build a winning streak and some momentum into next season.

The Terps will be on the road against Rutgers on Sunday, then against Northwestern next Wednesday, two teams below them in the Big Ten standings. They return home to face Washington — who has to travel across the country — next Saturday, and who has the same number of conference losses (10).

“Momentum is a big thing,” Adams said. “We’re going to be focused on the next games coming up, just trying to get another win. These last two wins have been very big for us, just getting our confidence up. We’re all on the same page now.”