Men's College Basketball 2021-2022 Season Preview: Maryland Terrapins

The Big 10 will be going through some changes in men’s college basketball up top this season, as household names like Ayo Dosunmu and Luka Garza are off to the NBA. There is still plenty of star power though, as Juwan Howard has brought in an elite recruiting class at Michigan, our guy Trevion Williams is back for his swan song season at Purdue. and even the bottom half of the conference has useful fantasy options sprinkled throughout.

Big 10 slates are a grind, so getting a head start on info about this conference will serve you well in putting you above the rest of the field. Join me on this journey as we preview the Big 10 teams from a DFS perspective.

In this one, Maryland.

(Check out our full college basketball season preview!)

Maryland Terrapins 2021-2022 Season Preview

2020-2021 record: 17-14 (9-11 Big 10), eighth in Big 10
Postseason: Lost in NCAA Tournament second round

Key Departures | Maryland Terrapins

Darryl Morsell (transferred to Marquette)
Aaron Wiggins (playing professionally)
Jairus Hamilton (transferred to WKU)
Galin Smith (playing overseas)
Aquan Smart (transferred to Florida International)
Reese Mona (graduated)
Chol Marial (transferred to Oregon State)

Key Additions | Maryland Terrapins

Qudus Wahab (transferred from Georgetown)
Fatts Russell (transferred from Rhode Island)
Ian Martinez (transferred from Utah)
Xavier Green (transferred from ODU)
Julian Reese (top 60 recruit)
Ike Cornish (4 star recruit)
Pavlo Dziuba (transferred from ASU)
Simon Wright (transferred from Elon)

Returners | Maryland Terrapins

Eric Ayala (15.1 PPG/4.3 RPG/1.2 SPG)
Donta Scott (11 PPG/5.9 RPG/2 APG)
Hakim Hart (7.1 PPG/3.5 RPG/1.9 APG)

Maryland Terrapins Outlook for 2021-2022

The Terps have retooled their roster and only brought back three key contributors from last year, essentially turning over the rest of the team. Props to Mark Turgeon for getting last year’s hodgepodge roster to the NCAA tournament. While losing lots of role players from last year, they’re really only going to miss Darryl Morsel and Aaron Wiggins, both of whom were starters all season. I think this team certainly has potential to dance again and I have faith in Turgeon’s coaching ability at this point.

There was a ton of hype across the industry when the Terps added Fatts Russell and Qudus Wahab from the transfer portal. They were two very splashy additions that felt huge at the time. Now that the dust has settled and most teams have finalized their rosters, it doesn’t quite feel as big as it once did. Fatts Russell had to become a do-it-all player for the Rams last season after they lost Tyrese Martin, Jeff Dowtin and Cyril Langevine. He suffered through various injuries at times but had a productive season with averages of 14.7 PPG/4.5 RPG/4.5 APG/1.9 SPG. His usage rate was above 26% while his shot rate was above 25%. His overall efficiency wasn’t great at Rhode Island, but now that he has better playmakers next to him, I would expect that to improve. The career steals leader at RI should be in for a productive year if nothing else.

Wahab gives the Terps a dominant low post presence, which is something they really didn’t have last year. Wahab was top 100 in block rate and fouls drawn rate while rocking a 32% combined rebounding rate. He instantly elevates this Terps squad and makes them far less reliant on jump shooting. Donta Scott had to play an undersized 5 last season, but he held his own surprisingly. He was a better-than-expected defensive rebounder and shot blocker. Wahab’s arrival allows Scott to slide over to the 4, a spot that is much better for his size and skill set. Scott buried an outstanding 44% of his 109 three-point attempts in 2020, so he is quite literally a perfect fit next to Wahab.

I’m pleased to see Eric Ayala decide to return for another year in college as he improved a great deal last year. He was a career 8 PPG scorer but improved that number to 15.1 as a junior. He will get to play more off ball with Russell around, which should also help his efficiency a ton. Hakim Hart is an instant offense type that seems better suited to come off the bench while ODU transfer Xavier Green gives the team a better defensive presence on the perimeter. Ian Martinez is depth help and may end up being one of those “last guy in” types that can bang triples and do just enough in peripheral categories to pay off.

(Check out our rankings of the top 100 teams, top 100 players and top 25 impact freshmen for men’s college basketball in 2021-2022.)

Summary

I’m tempering my expectations for this team after getting way too excited for them after the Wahab/Fatts additions. They look like a solid 4-6 seed in the tournament at the end of the day and should be plenty useful to us for fantasy purposes.