Maryland men’s basketball impressed in their season opener against Niagara, leaving fans marveling at a drastically redesigned squad. New head coach Kevin Willard flaunted their depth in a 22-point bludgeoning, with new faces already establishing themselves in a suddenly strong rotation.

The Terps’ comfortable 71-49 victory over the Eagles served as a positive indicator of what this team has to offer, which saw all eleven players who saw game action score. Nine players played at least nine minutes, but only two needed to score double digits to put the game away with time to spare.

The defense was the key to the lead, and it shows in the box score. The Terps accumulated nine blocks and eight steals, while Niagara only totaled only three of each. Starters and bench players were attentive throughout, closing out hard and scrapping for 50/50 balls.

With the losses of Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell after last season, the Terps lost their go-to guys and opted to come back without an obvious replacement. After one game, Donta Scott has shown potential to fill that role, leading the team with 18 points on efficient shooting, even going 4-5 from three-point range.

Scott looked nimble after a transformative offseason, which saw him shave 30 points off of his build. He got to the rim when he needed to, even piling on two emphatic blocks and six rebounds in 35 minutes, leading the team by a considerable margin. 

“35 minutes is probably way too many minutes for him,” Willard said after the game. “He’s earned it from his career here, and I wanted him to get gassed.”

Jahmir Young likely drew the most eyes out of the eight players who did not play for Maryland last year, seven of which got into last night’s game. The nifty lefty revealed why he’s starting at the point, with Maryland’s pace increasing anytime he checked in. He did a bit of everything, with his 14 points, 4 assists, 7 rebounds, which tied for the team-high.

On the other end, his defense held up, as he contributed two blocks, tying Scott for the most of anyone on the night. 

One pleasant surprise was Jahari Long, who made plays in his ten minutes of action. 

Long helped anchor the defense when the starters went out, and after one night, looked like the best perimeter defender not named Hakim Hart through effort alone. He got a steal on an inbounds pass, and hit two of three shots, including a three. He didn’t look like much of a ball handler out there but can prove to be a valuable bench piece in his third year under Willard.

Ian Martinez entered the game with Long in the first half and showed a penchant for being at the right place at the right time. Martinez accumulated five steals, four more than his teammates, and his tenacity off the bench carried over from brief appearances from last year.

Don Carey started as a shooting guard, his position to lose, but struggled in his first start with Maryland. He shot six threes, just as advertised, but only hit one. Carey stayed active and has the potential to be the best shooter on this team if his shot falls as it has throughout his lengthy career. Like everyone else, he played hard-nosed defense, which one can only hope is an indicator of the team-wide effort we can expect. 

Guard/forward Noah Batchelor played nine minutes, getting a block and tipping a Niagara three-point shot right before time expired to keep the lead at 22. He hit the only three he shot, showing potential for yet another versatile option off the bench.

Patrick Emilien is one of the more interesting incoming transfers, playing hard in twelve minutes, acting as an active bench presence, and shouting his support from the sidelines. Coach Willard briefly mentioned using the forward as a small-ball center against opposing bench units, which checked out after he got two rebounds, a steal, and a block to go along with four points. 

As for the negatives, Julian Reese took longer than many anticipated to get going. He got his first field goal to go 32 minutes in, and he looked reluctant to attack driving lanes or post up opposing bigs. Defensively, he attacked the boards and did what he could, but wouldn’t leave the paint unless he absolutely had to. Willard remains patient, considering this to be his true freshman season considering all the coaching turnover he’s already endured.

Lastly, anyone following remembers that the double-digit lead only ballooned toward the end, and just after the second half commenced, the lead was as small as four. 

Willard blames himself for allowing Niagara to claw back.

“I have to figure out my secondary rotation; we were in a really good offensive rhythm, we were scoring, and then I put two lineups out there that really hadn’t practiced together, and it was very evident. It wasn’t the players’ fault, it was my fault because I put in terrible lineups,” Willard said.

Willard comes straight from Seton Hall, and Maryland fans look to him and his respectable career win-loss record of 270-210 to wash away the memories of last year’s wonky power transition from Mark Turgeon to Danny Manning, culminating in a subpar season. 

The first game of a long basketball season acted as a preview of what to expect once the team gels. The Willard era has just begun.