By Dylan Schmidt and Christian Andriolas

Maryland men’s basketball enters a new era under head coach Buzz Williams. 

Despite the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2016, the entire roster is brand new. After a tumultuous end to the Kevin Willard era, which resulted in his departure to Villanova, Maryland hired Williams from Texas A&M.

And he had a lot of work to do over the offseason, restocking an entire roster with just over a month to operate. Williams was active in the portal, bringing in 10 transfers and pairing them with some talented freshmen.

Instead of the beloved “Crab Five” that drew national recognition, Terps’ fans must get used to new faces this season. 

“This is the fifth time I’ve taken a head coaching job, but it’s the first time I’ve taken a head coaching job in this era, and it’s unlike the other four,” Williams said. “I’ve never not had a team meeting prior to my press conference because there’s nobody on the team.”

That has been the norm in the transfer portal era of college athletics — loads of roster turnover and first-year head coaches starting from scratch, which usually results in remarkable turnarounds or epic failures. 

Maryland hopes it can avoid the latter, and its brand-new roster can gel together on the fly.

Roster Outlook

The Terps’ roster has 15 new players this season. Yes, you read that right. 

Williams brought over four players from his coaching tenure at Texas A&M. Seniors Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington were key contributors to an Aggies team that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. 

Payne already proved his skill set, with a team-high 26 points and nine rebounds in the Terps’ exhibition game against UMBC. Redshirt freshmen George Turkson Jr. and Andre Mills also followed Williams, hoping to make their first impact at the college level. 

The Terps brought in the most talent at the guard position. Redshirt junior Myles Rice, graduate student David “Diggy” Coit, and junior Isiah Watts all bring experience to a team that needs to build camaraderie fast. They could emerge as the team’s top scoring options. 

At Washington State, Watts averaged 11 points per game last season, while Rice has averaged 12.5 points in two college seasons. Coit played his first season at a power conference school in 2025, averaging five points off the bench for Kansas. But the Terps hope to get more of the player they saw in his two years at Northern Illinois, where he averaged 18.2 points. 

Intriguing freshman guards helped fill out the roster. Five-star Darius Adams decommitted from UConn and chose Maryland, along with commitments from three-star Jaziah Harper and Spanish standout Guillermo Del Pino, who helped his team win the U18 Eurobasket championship. 

Rounding out the roster is the Terps’ frontcourt depth — 6’10 freshman forward Aleks Alston, senior forward Elijah Saunders from Virginia and senior center Colin Metcalf from Northeastern. 

“They’re trying to figure out what we’re asking them to do,” Williams said. “It’s 15 new players. Every day is a brand new day … chemistry, it’s such an intangible thing. I do think they’re making progress in that way.” 

Uncertain Expectations

Williams brings plenty of Power Four coaching experience to Maryland, previously working at Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. He has found success in his first season at those stops, averaging 17 wins and guiding Marquette to the NCAA Tournament back in 2008.

With a stellar postseason track record — Williams has reached the tournament 11 times in his 18-year career — he is a proven top coach in college basketball. But Williams is still adapting to Big Ten play, a reason to temper expectations.

While Maryland’s 26-day preseason camp helped the players develop some on-court chemistry, it also resulted in a handful of key injuries.

Washington and Rice are expected to have lengthy absences, as both were seen with a boot during the Terps’ exhibition game. Coit and Watts could be back for Maryland’s season opener on Monday.

This year’s team may have tons of depth in the backcourt, but it lacks a clear substitute for Payne and Saunders in the frontcourt. Alston played 15 minutes against UMBC, but only scored a point and he lacks college experience. Metcalf only touched the court for a minute on Monday.

“I didn’t think he was very productive in [that] minute,” Williams said of Metcalf’s performance against UMBC. “From a size standpoint, he can help us. But he did not help us in the one minute.”

Instead, Maryland will have to rely heavily on its guard-heavy roster — 11 of the 16 players are listed as guards or guards/forwards. The Terps will likely operate in three-guard lineups, with Adams, Coit, Watts, Del Pino and Mills expected to split the backcourt duties until Rice returns.

Another pressing question about this year’s team is who will be the top offensive option. Four players — Watts, Rice, Payne and Saunders — all averaged double figures last season, with Watts leading the charge at 11 points. Coit also has offensive upside after dropping nearly 20 points per game prior to his arrival at Kansas.

Based on the Terps’ exhibition game, Payne will be a force in the paint and likely play the majority of the minutes. 

“I think Pharrel [Payne] will play as many minutes as he can,” Williams said.

While Payne led the team with 26 points against UMBC, that mismatch down low will not be there against Big Ten opposition. He will be forced to rely on his footwork and paint skills to find offensive production.

Adams is another key performer for Maryland this season. The highly-touted freshman contributed 19 points in the exhibition game, getting to the line with ease. But relying on the four-star recruit for consistent scoring is a tough task.

Looking ahead

The Terps begin their 2025 campaign on Monday against Coppin State in the Hall of Fame Baltimore Classic. 

But Maryland will quickly be tested, as their home opener against Georgetown is expected to be a tight contest. The Hoyas defeated preseason No. 9 Kentucky in an exhibition game earlier this week.

Littered throughout their nonconference slate, the Terps face some dangerous tournament squads. Games against the likes of Marquette, Gonzaga and Virginia figure to provide Maryland with a measuring stick of where the program is heading into Big Ten play.

Once the Terps get into conference games, the schedule gets even more daunting. Maryland plays seven Big Ten games against preseason-ranked opponents, including hosting top-ranked Purdue. 

If Maryland can navigate its tricky nonconference schedule, it should be in a good position to at least make the NCAA Tournament, barring any crucial injuries or a collapse in Big Ten play. But expectations for Williams’ first year in College Park should remain low.