Maryland men’s basketball is back inside the Xfinity Center on Friday night as they host Mount St. Mary’s for game two of the 2024-25 season, marking the second Quad Four game of the season. Maryland will host Florida A&M for its third Quad Four game when they host Florida A&M before facing their first big test of the season when 18th-ranked Marquette heads to College Park next Friday night. With aspirations for a bounceback season led by heralded freshman Derik Queen, what should Maryland fans look out for over the next two games? We take a look at three things to watch:
Selton Miguel to get healthy & comfortable
Game one gave fans a chance to get their first extended look at star freshman Derik Queen, while Ja’Kobi Gillespie put together a complete game with 16 points, including a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the second half when he also registered four of his five assists in the win. Meanwhile, Rodney Rice turned an offseason filled with flashes into production in his first game in over 600 days after scoring 11 of his 12 points in the second half, giving the offense the spark it will need off the bench this season.
The one player who didn’t get to flash was Selton Miguel, after head coach Kevin Willard noted that the transfer addition tweaked his ankle in practice in the days before the opener.
“Selton sprained his ankle two days ago, missed most of yesterday's practice,” Willard said after the game. “I wanted to get him out there and just get the feel of the first game and go through everything, but he looked like he was just kind of not himself and so that was just kind of what – I didn't want him to mess that ankle up any further.”
Miguel drew buzz as potentially the biggest immediate impact of the incoming transfers with the ability to create his own shot, a prerequisite for Willard heading into the portal last offseason. The expectation has the Terps’ have a chance to create better scoring balance across its starting five in 2024-25, and after getting back to full health, Miguel will have a chance to showcase that before the Terps’ first Quad One game.
Chemistry in the Queen-Reese pairing
While all the headlines have been centered around the Queen-Reese tandem, head coach Kevin Willard has consistently said that the time spent on the court together will be less than fans may have expected.
“They work really well together. It just I just don't like giving the other team a free pass not having them one of them on the floor, because I don't care who you are – if you’ve got to guard Julian Reese and Derik Queen all game long and you never get a break, you're going to be in for a long night.”
While Reese played just 20 minutes to Queen’s 27 in the opener, the duo shared the floor for much of the night aside for when it was Queen who subbed in for Reese at the 4:38 mark in the first half.
The freshman’s record night was evidence of his comfort around the rim, capitalizing on the size advantage to dominate the glass while leaning on his smooth touch around the rim to control the paint. While the Terps could enjoy a size advantage over the next two games before facing Marquette, the next step is getting Reese comfortable with his new point guard and adjusted on the offensive end as Gillespie and the guards work to feed the paint.
How the backcourt gels with different pairings
The upcoming Quad One opportunities against Marquette and Villanova over the next 16 days could give early insight into what the eventual trimmed rotation looks like, but how the backcourt continues to develop will be another for the Terps to get sorted with Kam Jones looming.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie can play both on and off ball, paving the way for a pair of portal additions to play bigger roles: Rodney Rice and Jay Young. It was Rice who showed he’s comfortable back on the floor after chipping into the extended second-half run that put Monday’s game to bed, while Young’s experience and defensive reputation could give the backcourt the top defender it needs this season.
But over the next two games, Maryland will get a chance to iron out the backcourt pairings with Rice, Gillespie and Young all able to play on the ball while Miguel, Gillespie and Rice can slide to the two. How would a Rodney Rice-led offense look as he facilitates? Can the Terps generate offense with Young at the helm, and is it through the frontcourt?
In his first game as a Terp, Tafara Gapare played 13 minutes to Jordan Geronimo’s 12 minutes while redshirt freshman Braden Pierce made his Maryland debut after playing five minutes in the second half, providing minutes as a rim protector behind Reese. While the frontcourt has depth, how the frontcourt gels could determine how far Maryland goes in year three of the Kevin Willard era.
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