Entering Kevin Willard’s second season at the helm in College Park, the Terps’ schedule is starting to take shape with the announcement of Maryland’s non-conference schedule on July 20.
We already knew about a handful of these games. For instance, we knew Maryland is going to participate in the Asheville Championship Tournament down in North Carolina this November. The other teams in that field are Clemson, Davidson, and UAB. While we don’t know yet how the bracket will play out, Maryland will play at least two of those teams.
We also already knew about a Nov. 12 game at Villanova as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which should have everyone excited. It’s a chance to pick up a win against a big-name program that is still going through a rebuild phase after the departure of Jay Wright after the 2021 season. It’s also a chance for a solid road win early in the season.
Finally, we knew the Terps are going to travel across country to take on future Big Ten foe UCLA in the Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 22. This is the second leg of a home-and-home series that started with an 87-60 win by the Bruins in College Park last season. Maryland will certainly be looking to return the favor this winter.
With Thursday’s schedule release, we now know that Maryland’s remaining non-conference schedule is as follows: Mount St. Mary’s (Nov. 7 – season opener), UMBC (Nov. 21), South Alabama (Nov. 25), Rider (Nov. 28), Alcorn State (Dec. 12), Nicholls State (Dec. 19), and Coppin State (Dec. 28). The Terps will host a pair of Big Ten games in between the Rider and Alcorn State matchups.
Let’s take a closer look at what the expectations are coming into this season for some of Maryland’s toughest non-conference opponents.
Clemson, Davidon, and UAB
Since we don’t know yet which of these teams Maryland will play in the Asheville Championship tournament, we’ll take a quick look at each.
Clemson: With a 23-11 record last season, Clemson was on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament but did not make it. They instead played in the NIT and lost in the first round to Morehead State. After some offseason enhacnements to the roster by way of transfers from Syracus, Air Force, and NC State, Joe Lunardi currently projects the Tigers as a 10 seed in this upcoming year’s NCAA Tournament, which means Clemson could very well find itself on or around the bubble again. The Tigers have a reason to be optimistic with last year’s leading scorer and NBA hopeful PJ Hall returning for a fourth year. The third-team All-ACC selection averaged 15.3 points per game last season. Clemson will, however, have to replace first-team All-ACC selection Hunter Tyson, who’s now in the NBA.
Davidson: Davidson was a middling Atlantic 10 team last year and, while they could be somewhat improved with the return of some starters, there’s reason to believe they’ll be a middle-of-the-pack mid-major again. This isn’t the Stephen Curry days at Davidson and legendary coach Dan McKillop is also no longer there, as his son, Matt, enters his second season at the helm after taking over.
UAB: The Blazers lost a nailbiter in the finals of the NIT last season after enjoying a 29-10 record. Head coach Andy Kennedy is losing several seniors from that group, which could signify a bit of a rebuild if the successors aren’t prepared to step up. The biggest loss is last year’s leading scorer and primary ball-handler, Jordan Walker.
Villanova
After a year away from the NCAA Tournament to rebuild with first-year head coach Kyle Neptune, the Wildcats are poised to return back to prominence with a revamped roster. Lunardi currently has Villanova as a 5 seed in the next tournament.
Neptune already scored a big win this offseason when we convinced star guard Justin Moore to stay after rumors had been swirling that he might transfer. He then went out and added three talented wings in the transfers portal in Hakim Hart (Maryland), TJ Bamba (Washington State), and Tyler Burton (Richmond). All of which could be starters this season. Maryland will at least have a read on Hart, when these two teams match up, but the intel goes both ways. And let’s not forget that Villanova still has versatile big Eric Dixon still holding down the paint. This is going to be a brawl in Philly.
UCLA
Last, but certainly not least, we have the one Blue Blood on the schedule. However, Maryland could be catching the Bruins at the right time. Not only will the Terps have revenge on their mind after getting embarrassed at home last year, but UCLA will also have to overcome the loss of the nucleus of players that helped bring the Bruins to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for three straight seasons. Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jaylen Clark are all gone after all turning pro.
But don’t sleep on Mick Cronin’s bunch, as we know he can recruit and coach with the best of them. He’ll still have a plenty talented roster and the advantage of being at home in this matchup.
It won’t be easy for Maryland to avenge last year’s 27-point loss, but it shouldn’t be as hard of a team to beat as last year neither.
Terps Analyst
Pat has been covering sports in the DMV area since 2012. He is a former Washington Redskins beat reporter for PressBoxDC.com and has been covering University of Maryland football and basketball recruiting and daily beats for Rivals.com’s Terrapin Sports Report since 2013. Pat graduated from College Park with his master’s degree in journalism and has received bylines in publications such as USA TODAY Sports, The Philadelphia Inquirer, SB Nation, and Yahoo! Sports. A Philadelphia native, Pat enjoys fishing, golfing, and playing fantasy sports when he’s not covering or watching a game.