Maryland men’s basketball’s conference slate started off about as poorly as it could have imagined.
The Terps looked out of sorts and outmatched by an Iowa team that projects to be middle-of-the-pack in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes led by 16 at halftime and by as much as 26 before Maryland ultimately fell, 83-64, on the road at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Advertisement
Here are three takeaways from the night.
Iowa got every look it wanted
The Hawkeyes are the third straight high-major team to shoot over 50% from the field and over 40% from deep against Maryland. One strong opponent shooting lights-out is an anomaly — three in a row is not.
Bennett Stirtz is one of the best college basketball players in the country. Even with a strong defender in Solomon Washington tasked with him for much of the afternoon, he finished 10-of-17 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range en route to 25 points.
But Stirtz’s outburst isn’t what reflects poorly on Maryland. It’s the abundance of wide-open looks for everyone — especially from beyond the arc — that spell trouble going forward.
Advertisement
The Terps’ lack of 5-on-5 practice is extremely evident on the court. They’re simply not connected in rotation. Shooters were left open repeatedly, and Iowa capitalized early and often. It dished out 19 assists to Maryland’s seven, and its 8-of-13 showing from deep in the first half eclipsed the Terps’ six made 3-pointers (from 20 attempts) all game.
The personnel on the court didn’t help either. Darius Adams — a notably high-effort defender — earned two early fouls and played just five minutes in the first half. George Turkson Jr. is a physical presence at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, and came off the injury report for the game. He didn’t see the court.
But perhaps most puzzling was 6-foot-10 freshman Aleks Alston’s omission. He provides much-needed size, especially if Pharrel Payne needs a breather. Alston also proved he can produce against stronger opponents, averaging 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 points in 21.3 minutes per game across the three-game Players Era Festival slate.
But Alston also didn’t enter the game — the first time he’s been left out since the second game of the season, against Georgetown.
Advertisement
Guillermo Del Pino’s role increased. His impact didn’t.
The Spaniard entered Saturday averaging 9.5 minutes per game. He played a combined 32 minutes against Gonzaga and Alabama — Maryland’s last two high-major opponents — but only nine came in the first half.
Del Pino was the only Terp to stay on the court for the entirety of the final 10 minutes of the first half. With Maryland needing to dig out of a deep hole to stay competitive in the second half, Del Pino played more than Adams, Myles Rice and Isaiah Watts. Rice and Watts had zero fouls.
He started the second half but was subbed out after a minute and didn’t return. The freshman finished with zero points, three rebounds and one assist. While he wasn’t officially credited with any turnovers, he visibly contributed to multiple.
Advertisement
Del Pino occasionally brought the ball up the court and created a few scoring looks off the dribble. But he didn’t convert any of them, and most of the time was spent occupying a defender in the corner.
Del Pino projects as Maryland’s truest point guard. That’s an asset head coach Buzz Williams could really use in his rotation. But Del Pino simply isn’t talented or experienced enough to play substantial minutes against high-major opponents.
Having him steal minutes from Adams, Rice, Coit and Watts in a crucial stretch — on the road in the Big Ten opener, no less — was a bizarre choice to make.
Big Ten outlook is grim.
Before the season began, BartTorvik projected Maryland would finish the season 17-13 and 10-10 in Big Ten play.
Advertisement
Now, sitting at 6-4, BartTorvik only favors the Terps in three of their remaining 21 games. One of those projected wins is Old Dominion. That would mean Williams’ first season at the helm ends with a 9-22 overall record and 2-18 conference record.
Is it likely the Terps finish with under double-digit wins? Probably not. But it might be more likely than a March Madness appearance at this point.
No. 3 Michigan comes to College Park in a week for what’s virtually certain to be an ugly loss for Maryland. Then it travels to Charlottesville with an 8-1 Virginia squad that’s 2-1 against high-majors.
That sets the Terps up to be 6-6 entering their final nonconference game against Old Dominion with a brutal slate on deck.
Advertisement
Maryland plays nine conference opponents before Feb. 2. Six of them are the Wolverines, No. 22 Indiana, vote-receiving UCLA, No. 24 USC, No. 14 Illinois, No. 7 Michigan State and No. 1 Purdue. Of that group, only Michigan and the Boilermakers will face the Terps in College Park.
Maryland’s 2025-26 season is going to get a lot uglier before things improve — if they improve at all.
