Maryland men’s basketball had something it hadn’t had all season until Tuesday night. A lineup at full strength.
After two embarrassing losses last week, forward Solomon Washington’s return could not have come at a better time.
But it was his fellow senior frontcourt teammate Pharrel Payne who led the way for the Terps again. He scored a career-high 30 points as Maryland cruised past Wagner 89-63, fueled by a dominant second half.
“It was like flashes of last year,” Payne said about having Washington back. “It was amazing to see him out there doing what he does, and it’s great to have him back.”
The reputation of the Maryland men’s basketball program and Wagner would make the final score look reasonable. But entering Tuesday’s game, the net rankings of the two programs suggest a possible upset by the Terps.
Maryland (6-3) came into Tuesday with a lower net ranking than a one-win Wagner (1-6) team. The Terps ranked No. 200, while the Seahawks ranked No. 198.
Despite Wagner’s only win coming in overtime against Manhattan, Maryland’s poor performances in losses dropped them in the rankings. It lost to Georgetown by ten, Gonzaga by 39, and Alabama by 32, and also needed overtime to beat Mount Saint Mary’s.
“I know our net’s not good because of the results from [last] Tuesday and Wednesday’s performance,” Williams said. “Regardless of score, good or bad, we just were so deficient in reps. I have some thoughts, philosophically. I just don’t think that where our program is right now, that’s priority number one.”
In the first half Tuesday night, the net rankings looked justified — the 23.5 point favorite Terps led by just seven and looked pretty even on the statsheet.
The shooting struggles have been evident all season, but never more than Tuesday’s first half. Maryland shot 10-of-33 from the field (27%) — with half of its makes coming in the final four minutes — and missed 11 layups.
Maryland forced nine Wagner turnovers but generated only 10 points from them. The Terps looked to take a stride in rebounding, where they had been “beyond bad” according to head coach Buzz Williams — and grabbed 10 in the first 20 minutes. Still, they failed to pull away.
Wagner stayed within reach despite its own struggles. The Seahawks shot just 25% from the field and committed nine turnovers, but it was just a seven-point game heading into the break.
A slow start out of halftime was followed by the best the offense looked all game. After just three assists in the first 24 minutes, the Terps recorded four in as many minutes. From that moment on, the Terps dominated the game and never let Wagner come closer.
While the Terps’ offensive struggles were glaring again, they took a step in another major statistic — rebounding.
Maryland outrebounded Wagner 48-37 for its largest margin of the season. Eighteen of those came on the offensive end, leading to 18 second-chance points.
The added size in the frontcourt with the return helped the Terps. In his long-awaited Maryland debut, he scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds and even caught two lobs late in the second half to get the crowd on its feet.
He looked much like he did as a junior at Texas A&M. Last season, he averaged 4.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.0 stocks — steals and blocks combined. For a Terps team that has lacked an interior presence, specifically on the boards, Washington’s return was huge.
“Physically, he helps us defensively. He helps us from an athleticism standpoint … he can guard the ball,” Williams said of Wasington. “He will help on the glass on both ends of the floor.”
Maryland players have called him the team’s vocal leader all season, and his presence on the court was noticeable. He brought energy to the lineup that Maryland has been missing, and helped spark the Terps’ second-half surge — and avoid playing an unnecessary nail-biter as it did against Mount St. Mary’s.
