Nine players, including four starters, scored at least two points in Maryland men’s basketball’s 79-49 clubbing of visiting Manhattan on Monday night at Xfinity Center in College Park.
The only starter who did not find the basket was fifth-year senior small forward Selton Miguel, who missed all four of his shots — including two from 3-point range — and finished with as many assists (one) as personal fouls.
The South Florida transfer was on the floor for 14 minutes, 36 seconds in the first half, but was held out of the second half.
After the game, coach Kevin Willard said Miguel had been bothered by a sprained ankle suffered on Saturday.
“Missed most of yesterday’s practice,” he said. “I wanted to get him out there and just get the feel of the first game and go through everything. He looked like he was not himself. I didn’t want him to mess that ankle up any further.”
Miguel might be a game-time decision for the Terps’ game against Mount St. Mary’s on Friday at 8 p.m. at Xfinity Center.
Here are three observations from Monday night’s 79-49 win:
Derik Queen’s debut was no surprise to his teammates: Here is another note to consider after the 6-foot-10, 245-pound center from Baltimore compiled 22 points and 20 rebounds in his first college game.
After becoming the first player for Maryland (1-0) to reach the 20-20 mark since Joe Smith racked up 31 points and 21 rebounds in an 82-68 victory over Texas in an NCAA Tournament game on March 18, 1995, Queen is also the first player at the Division I level to go 20-20 in his debut since former NBA No. 2 pick Michael Beasley did so at Kansas State in 2007.
But to Queen’s teammates, his performance was perhaps the least shocking scene they witnessed.
“I expected that from Derik,” junior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “He came in as a five-star [recruit], and I heard a lot about him. So I really expected that.”
Added sophomore shooting guard Rodney Rice: “He does that in practice. So it was very expected. He was horsing down there. That’s what I like to see from him.”
Paired with senior power forward Julian Reese, who contributed nine points, five rebounds and two blocks, Queen easily helped the Terps take advantage of their size against a smaller Jaspers interior defense. But Willard acknowledged that he must be mindful of playing Queen and Reese on the floor together.
“I know all the fans want them to play together, and I get it,” he said. “My biggest issue playing them together is, I’ve got to take them both out. We struggled, and we went through a tough stretch when both of them were out of the game. I think when they’re both out of the game, I’m giving the other team a gift. It’s really hard to try to play a center eight straight minutes at this level.”
Rodney Rice might be an under-the-radar contributor: When the Virginia Tech transfer came off the bench about six minutes into the game, it marked his first appearance in a game since March 15, 2023 — 601 days exacerbated by his decision in October 2023 to leave the Hokies.
The long absence seemed worth the wait as Rice scored 11 of his 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting in the second half and was the only Maryland player to sink two 3-pointers. Only Queen, Gillespie and sophomore shooting guard DeShawn Harris-Smith spent more time on the floor than Rice, who played 23:57. While acknowledging that his 0 of 3 outing (including 0-for-2 from 3-point range) in the first half was “rough,” Rice said he grew more comfortable as the game continued.
“It definitely took me a few practices, but yeah, got my feet wet,” he said. “Playing like myself now, I feel more confident. The coaches, the guys on the team, they’ve instilled that confidence into me. Just playing like myself, playing free.”
Rice was part of a second unit that included junior power forward Tafara Gapare (five points and two rebounds), graduate student point guard Jayhlon Young (three points and five rebounds) and fifth-year senior small forward Jordan Geronimo (two points, three rebounds and two blocks). Willard said being able to rely on another group to spell the starters is a reassuring alternative.
“Last year, we would have struggled, and we did last year,” he said. “We struggled because we didn’t have that many options. It was nice to sit there and be able to put Rodney Rice in at the start of the second half and know what he can do. The chemistry’s a long way. I think everyone is going to say the same thing. We’re not the only ones, but I do like the fact that I had a lot of confidence in going to the bench and playing Jay, playing Rodney, playing Tafara, Jordan extended minutes.”
Scoring remains a question mark: The Terps converted a respectable 44.3% from the floor (31 of 70) against Manhattan (0-1). But their troubles from beyond the 3-point arc, their biggest issue a season ago, continue to haunt them.
Maryland made just 21.7% of its 3-point shots (5 of 23) and was particularly inefficient in the first half when it shot 18.2% (2 of 11). The 6-9, 215-pound Gapara, who shot 21.2% from behind the line in two seasons at UMass and Georgia Tech, sank the team’s first 3-pointer midway through in the first half, and he and Rice were the only players to finish at 40% or better from deep.
But Willard promised that the current group is nothing like last year’s squad that ranked second-to-last in 3-point percentage (.289) in the Big Ten and 350th out of 363 teams nationally.
“This team will shoot the basketball much, much better,” he said. “Last year, I walked off the court, and I was visibly nervous about the way we shot the ball. This year, I know we’ve got guys that can make the shots. So I’m not that worried about that.”
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