Friday marks the third consecutive season that Maryland and UCLA have squared off with the road team winning each matchup, and as both enter 11-4 overall, the Xfinity Center is expected to draw a long list of scouts for the Big Ten game.
22 scouts from 15 NBA teams are expected in College Park with the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers sending multiple scouts. The Wizards will be the most represented team on Friday with four scouts in attendance.
With six Terps already in the NBA, the Xfinity Center has become a popular destination so far this season after hosting an NBA scout from at least one team for every home game this season, while the home game vs. Marquette back in November drew scouts from ten different teams.
It’s no surprise why the NBA has made Maryland a familiar place through the first two months of the season with star freshman Derik Queen generating buzz as a potential lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. No Ceilings projected Queen to become the seventh pick in April while ESPN projected the freshman to land in Indiana with the 16th overall pick.
“Queen is one of the most productive freshmen, bringing an advanced feel for the college game and skill level, creating shots for himself and others for Maryland, scoring and drawing fouls prolifically while filling up the box score. He has some questions to answer regarding his defense and perimeter shooting. He is not the most modern big man and wouldn't be a fit for every team's roster because of his average mobility, intensity and lack of shooting range,” ESPN wrote.
“Maryland fans better get used to watching him, in my opinion, because I don’t think he’s going to be here next year,” head coach Kevin Willard said in November. “He’s an old-school type player and that probably the best compliment that I can give somebody. He plays like a 50-year-old man. He sees the game that way. He’s so smart. He doesn’t have to go fast. He knows where everybody is. He knows every offense. He puts everybody in the right position. Put him in the NBA situation with a big lane and a bigger arc, that kid is going to be special. You’re watching a pro and I’ve been around pros. You’re just seeing what a pro looks like at 19 years old as a freshman. So it’s not anything special. It's just he’s a pro.”
Related Links