Maryland men’s basketball returns home on Saturday when they host UMES on Saturday for a noon tipoff, one week removed from a 27-point beatdown for the program’s first win vs. Syracuse since 1980. While it marked the third time in four seasons Maryland has made the trip to play in Brooklyn, head coach Kevin Willard hinted they might be headed back again in 2025-26.
“The Syracuse game, that was a great crowd all around. I think they had almost 11,000 people at Barclays [Center] for a neutral site game at that time of year is really good. Next year, we have Georgetown coming to Xfinity. We’re at Marquette. We’re at Virginia. And then we’re probably looking to do two more neutral site games, somewhere back in the New York area. Just trying to find the right opponent,” Willard said on Talkin’ Terps with Johnny Holiday on Thursday.
Willard noted the uptick in competition level, a stark difference from the 2024-25 season as Maryland prepares for its eighth Quad Four game of the season this weekend.
“You want to make sure it’s a good game for the crowd to come out. And we do – we have a great alumni base up there. We have a strong student base that comes from New York, New Jersey area so we’ve got a lot of students at the game which was great. And I think it also balances out the fact that I’m now starting to learn having all these games in November, December has been great for the team. It’s not ideal for the fanbase just because of traffic and how tough it is, I think, for people to get to games. So trying to balance out our home schedule a little bit, maybe not having so many home games early on, trying to balance it out. The hardest thing about it is – and all the Big Ten coaches agree – is you really have to be careful who you play going into the Big Ten, the December Big Ten games, and how you come out of those December games. My first year we played Illinois and at Wisconsin and we came back and we played Tennessee, neutral [site], and then we played UCLA. We played – we beat Illinois, lost a heartbreaker at Wisconsin, neutral Tennessee lost at the buzzer, and then came back [vs.] UCLA and UCLA pounded us. I think they beat us by 100. I remember sitting there thinking we were dead coming out of those two Big Ten games because you put so much energy on those Big Ten games. And the fans hate it because you schedule around the Big Ten games a little bit softer, but you’re a little bit softer so you’re going into Big Ten fresh and ready to play. And then when you come out of the Big Ten game, you need a little bit of a buffer because as coaches, we put so much emphasis on those two games.”
Meanwhile, following the non-conference play, head coach Kevin Willard and his squad will hit the road for their first big road swing of the season when they take on Washington and Oregon in the first week of 2025 before welcoming 18th-ranked UCLA on Jan. 10.
“It's on,” Willard added. “Our road schedule is ranked the toughest in the Big Ten if you look at all the places we’re going. So we have a great challenge ahead of us which is great. We’re going to play in some great environments, couple big swing trips. This one obviously and then you have Illinois [and] Indiana as a swing trip, so I think being able to go out west and play these great teams I think is exciting, I think it’s awesome and we’re looking forward to it.”
While Maryland’s offense enters Friday ranked tied ninth nationally in scoring offense (87.8), Willard added he’s looking for one slight tweak with several proven shooters on the roster.
“Ja’Kobi’s an elite shooter. I’m looking to get him three or four more threes per game and it’s one of those things that, you know, he hasn’t played as many minutes but that starting lineup -- Rodney [Rice], Selton [Miguel] and Ja'Kobi -- those are three elite shooters. Those guys are going to take most of your shots.”
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