Maryland men’s basketball narrowly escaped its lone exhibition game on Monday, edging out UMBC, 82-81.

The Terps displayed a first look at their completely revamped roster under new head coach Buzz Williams. 

Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s exhibition:

Mistakes are a product of a new team

Maryland didn’t play its best game on Monday, finding itself in a tight contest with a mid-major program.

“They’re trying to figure out what we’re asking them to do. It’s 15 new players every day is a brand new day,” Williams said. 

Despite claiming victory, the Terps looked sloppy. On Monday, they turned the ball over 17 times, and those mistakes kept the Retrievers in the game.

“I think our turnover rate was one thing from an offensive standpoint,” Williams said. “We’ve got to lessen that. The two times that we have competed against another team, our turnover rate has been too high.”

Maryland’s offense came mostly from layups or drawing fouls, but struggled to shoot from range.

UMBC had a lights-out shooting performance, going 10-of-24 (41.7%) from deep due to many open looks.

The Terps haven’t looked like a high-major program yet due to the roster’s lack of consistency, which caused an exhibition thriller with UMBC. It was only this team’s second time facing a real opponent with the new team; the Terps played a private scrimmage with West Virginia. 

A young roster can give the Terps depth

Maryland’s rotation on Monday consisted of five freshmen. The Terps lacked experience on the court, which hurt them against a lower-level team with D1-experienced players. 

“We want to accrue as much information in real time as possible,” Williams said. “They’ve never been in a timeout, they’ve never warmed up for a game [or] been in a half-time of a division one game.”

Pharrell Payne, Elijah Saunders and Collin Metcalf’s one minute of playing time were the only in-game collegiate experiences Maryland had coming in.

With four key experienced players sitting out, Monday was a testament to the depth Maryland could have moving forward. 

Adams played all 40 minutes, scoring 19 points. He will be a major contributor and could be a driving force in any run the Terps can make. Adams struggled from the field, shooting 3-of-13. Where he shined was the free-throw line. He drew fouls and was 11-of-13 from the charity stripe, two clutch free throws late to clinch the win. 

“I knew I was gonna make those free throws going in,” Adams said. “I missed a lot of free throws in the last scrimmage that we had. So I’ve been working on it all week.” 

Guillermo Del Pino also played most of the game in his first game in the United States. Although he only scored six points, he could develop into a formidable player on this roster. 

Redshirt freshmen and George Turkson Jr. showed flashes as well. Williams brought both from Texas A&M. Andre Mills only played 20 minutes while battling foul trouble but was impactful, displaying toughness and defensive strengths. Turkson Jr. scored 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field.

When Maryland’s experience eventually makes its debut, its youth will provide depth that the Terps didn’t see in the previous era. 

“It’s a steep learning curve because they’ve never done it. But I like who they are. I like the direction that they’re wanting to go in,” Williams said.

Injuries have already affected the Terps

The injury bug has hit the Terps early. Maryland had four players absent on Monday as injuries have piled up in the preseason.

It was reported that Rakease Passmore will miss the entire season with a torn Achilles tendon. But other Terps were notably missing from action on Monday. Senior forward Solomon Washington is expected to miss a significant amount of time to start the season. Inside Maryland Sports reported that he suffered a sprained ankle.

The Terps received more injury news pregame. Senior guard Myles Rice was seen on crutches. Williams declined to comment on the status of his players’ injuries postgame. 

David ‘Diggy’ Coit and Isaiah Watts were also notably out of the lineup on Monday. Their availability for the first game of the regular season against Coppin State on Nov. 4 is unclear.

“As of this time last night, we had more healthy bodies than we did at tip-off,” Williams said. “I should give my attention and my energy and my emotion and my focus to the guys that are going to play.” 

Although much of Maryland’s rotation is unknown, the Terps will have added depth when players return. Monday’s performance was not necessarily a sign of things to come. 

Williams tried different lineups and looks he may use throughout the season. The Terps are not a finished product and probably won’t be until much later in the season.