With it being mid-September, we’re getting closer to the date when college basketball teams can begin practicing for the upcoming season. Hope springs eternal, and in the case of Maryland there are high expectations for the 2019-20 season. None of the personnel losses from last year’s team were unexpected, and the returns of Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith make this a season in which Mark Turgeon’s team should contend for a Big Ten title. Nationally, the pieces are there to play well into March (and maybe even the first weekend of April). While that’s the optimistic view, some pessimism would be understandable as well.

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Since Turgeon took over for Gary Williams in 2011, Maryland has made four NCAA tournament appearances (all in the last five years, with the best seed being a four in 2015) and reached the second weekend once. So while the talent is certainly there to make a run, it is certainly understandable if some are taking a more cautious approach to the 2019-20 campaign. Maryland is going to be ranked quite high in most preseason polls; Blue Ribbon Magazine has the Terps ranked sixth in its annual yearbook.

With that being the case, how does Maryland stack up against the competition? Below are some quick thoughts with my own personal Top 10. Quick note: I left out Maryland since it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to discuss how Maryland matches up against itself. If this were to be a true Top 10 the Terps would be seventh, dropping Gonzaga out.

1) Michigan State: The Spartans lost three of their top six scorers from a season ago, guard Matt McQuaid and big men Nick Ward and Kenny Goins, but this is a group that may be better equipped to win a national title. For one senior point guard Cassius Winston, arguably the best at the position in college basketball, is back. Also, the Spartans are healthy as Joshua Langford and Kyle Ahrens are back to full strength after having their seasons end prematurely due to injury. Xavier Tillman, who averaged 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season, will be asked to take a step forward and the same goes for sophomore wing Aaron Henry. Tom Izzo also signed a solid recruiting class headlined by guard Rocket Watts, with Marquette transfer Joey Hauser set to sit out the 2019-20 campaign.

From a personnel standpoint Maryland matches up pretty well with Michigan State, but the interior play will be a question that needs answering. While having Smith back gives the Terps an All-America caliber front court option, there are other unproven options who will need to sort themselves out early in the season. The two teams won’t play each other until February 15 (in East Lansing), with the second meeting occurring two weeks later in College Park. It would not be a surprise if there was a third (Big Ten tournament) or even fourth (NCAA tournament) game given the amount of talent on both sides.

2) Kansas: Due to injuries (Udoka Azubuike) and NCAA issues (Silvio De Sousa), the Jayhawks experienced a down year by that program’s standards. Kansas’ run of Big 12 regular season titles came to an end, and Bill Self’s team failed to reach the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015. Azubuike’s healthy and De Sousa will be back, joining a group of returnees that includes point guard Devon Dotson, wings Marcus Garrett and Ochai Agbaji and front court contributors David McCormack and Mitch Lightfoot. And while Kansas doing well on the recruiting trail should never come as a surprise, the program added one of the best grad transfers on the market in former Iowa guard Isaiah Moss.

If there was an issue for Kansas last season it was the team’s three-point shooting, as the Jayhawks shot just 35.0% from beyond the arc (losing Lagerald Vick mid-season didn’t help matters). Adding Moss, who shot 42.1% from three last season, will help in this area. In a hypothetical matchup with Maryland, I’d give Kansas the edge with regards to the post depth. Azubuike an a handful around the basket, and the return of De Sousa makes the Jayhawks more athletic in the post. But on the perimeter Maryland may have the edge. Anthony Cowan Jr. has plenty of experience, and he can be used off the ball some as Eric Ayala serves as the primary ball-handler, and off guards/wings such as Darryl Morsell, Aaron Wiggins and freshman Donta Scott need to be accounted for as well.

3) Louisville: With Chris Mack taking over a program mired in controversy ahead of last season, it can be argued that the Cardinals overachieved in his first season at the helm. Louisville won 20 games, finishing sixth in the ACC, and returned to the NCAA tournament after having to settle for the NIT the season prior. Junior forward Jordan Nwora, a player more than a few have tabbed as the ACC’s preseason player of the year, leads the way for a team that returns six of its top seven scorers. Steven Enoch and Malik Williams bring size and experience to the table in the front court, and Louisville managed to put together one of the top recruiting classes in the country. Freshman forward Aidan Igiehon will be an immediate contributor, and grad transfer Lamarr Kimble and Keith Oddo will add depth on the perimeter.

Darius Perry and Ryan McMahon are two experienced hands on the perimeter who will also earn playing time. How Kimble and Oddo, who played at Saint Joseph’s and Richmond respectively, adjust to the new system will go a long way towards determining just how good Louisville is. This is, at minimum, the best team in the ACC going into the season and there’s the potential for Louisville to reach the Final Four as well. The Cardinals are a slightly deeper team than Maryland at this point, especially when taking into consideration the front court. And Louisville doesn’t lack for players who can make plays for themselves and others on the perimeter, either.

4) Florida: While there are other programs on this list that added talented players via the grad transfer market, Florida picked up the best available option in former Virginia Tech power forward/center Kerry Blackshear. One of the ACC’s best players last season, Blackshear helped lead the Hokies to the Sweet 16. He joins a roster that, even with the departures of three of the top four scorers from 2018-19, is far more talented. Guard Andrew Nembhard, who started all 36 games at the point and played with Canada at the FIBA World Cup this summer, is back as is talented shooter Noah Locke. And Mike White put together a recruiting class headlined by McDonald’s All-Americans Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann. Other returnees include Keyontae Johnson and Dontae Bassett, giving White what will be the deepest roster he’s had since taking over as head coach in 2015.

The combination of depth, talent and experience make Florida a team capable of getting to the Final Four, and it’s probably a toss-up between the Gators and Kentucky as to which team is the early favorite in the SEC. The edge here goes to Florida because of Blackshear, who as soon as he announced his decision to transfer to Florida became an early favorite for SEC Player of the Year. While this would be an entertaining matchup to watch if Maryland were to run into the Gators at some point, it would also be a very difficult one. Florida has the point guard (Nembhard) and big (Blackshear) teams need to win a national title, and there’s plenty of talent on the wings (Locke, Lewis) as well. Coach White and his staff are going to have some interesting conversations when it comes to dividing the minutes, given the amount of talent that’s on the roster.

5) Kentucky: The Wildcats bid farewell to four starters from last season’s Elite Eight squad, but as is usually the case for John Calipari he and his staff managed to reload on the recruiting trail. What also helps matters is the fact that some key contributors decided to return to Lexington, most notably guards Ashton Hagans and Immanuel Quickley and big men Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery. Hagans, the lone returning starter, averaged 7.7 points and 4.3 assists per game and is the leading returnee in both statistical categories. As for the newcomers, guards Tyrese Maxey and Johnny Juzang are certainly names to remember, and the same can be said for freshman forward Kahlil Whitney and Bucknell grad transfer Nate Sestina. Sestina averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game during his senior season.

It will probably take a little time for Kentucky to truly mesh given how much talent was lost from last season’s team, but by March the Wildcats have the potential to be a national title contender. While Maryland is young in some spots it also has more experience, especially when it comes to the point guard position. The interior depth appears to be about even, but Kentucky is a bit older there with Sestina (a four capable of knocking down threes as a solid clip; 38% last season) being a grad student and Richards a junior.

6) Duke: Kentucky lost a lot of talent, but no team lost as much as Duke when it comes to the expected national title contenders. Mike Krzyzewski has to account for the departures of the first (Zion Williamson) and third (RJ Barrett) overall picks in June’s NBA Draft, but the good news is that point guard Tre Jones is back for his sophomore season. Jones averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game as a freshman, and given the departures of Williamson and Jones he’ll likely be asked to do more as a scorer. The other returning starter is Javin DeLaurier, who added 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per outing as a junior. Alex O’Connell and Jack White are the most productive of the bench returnees, and a lot is going to rest on the shoulders of the newcomers.

Duke landed one of the best recruiting classes in the country, led by big man Vernon Carey and wing Cassius Stanley. Add in another wing in Wendell Moore and a versatile forward in Matthew Hurt, and the Blue Devils have the (on paper) talent needed to be a factor in the national conversation all season long. Maryland is a more experienced team than Duke, and when it comes to proven scoring options the Terrapins have the edge. But the raw talent of players such as Carey and Stanley cannot be overlooked, and Jones could wind up being one of the most improved players in college basketball. Oh, they also have a Hall of Fame head coach calling the shots.

7) Virginia: One season after making history by becoming the first 1-seed to lose to a 16, Virginia made history by winning the program’s first national title. Three starters, guards Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy and forward De’Andre Hunter, have moved on leaving some major holes for Tony Bennett to fill. But he’s got some solid returnees to call upon, with point guard Kihei Clark and power forward Mamadi Diakite set to take a step forward and wing Braxton Key more comfortable in the Cavaliers’ system after receiving a crash course of sorts after transferring in from Alabama ahead of last season.

What will also help Virginia are the additions of Marquette transfer Sam Hauser and Indian Hills CC transfer Tomas Woldetensae, two versatile players who can help the Cavaliers at multiple positions. Woldetensae can be used at either the two or three, while Hauser can be useful at either forward spot due to his ability to step away from the basket offensively. Two freshmen to keep an eye on are point guard Casey Morsell, who will (at minimum) provide depth behind Clark, and power forward Kadin Shedrick. Due to the pack line defense that Bennett’s teams run, this would be a difficult matchup for Maryland if the Terps haven’t become more efficient with regards to perimeter shooting and turnovers. Accounting for the loss of your top three scorers isn’t easy to do, but Virginia is certainly capable of doing so thanks to the program that Bennett and his staff have built.

8) Villanova: Villanova’s run as national champion ended with a blowout loss to Purdue in the second round, and that also marked the end of the road for seniors Phil Booth and Eric Paschall. Those two are gone, but Collin Gillespie, Saddiq Bey and Jermaine Samuels all return to help lead the way. Gillespie, who averaged 10.9 points and 2.8 assists per game as a sophomore, and Samuels were part of the Big East team that represented the United States and won bronze at the Pan-American Games this summer. Forwards Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Cole Swider will also have the opportunity to contribute more, but Villanova is going to need its freshman class to hit the ground running. Guard Bryan Antoine is the headliner of Jay Wright’s recruiting class, but forwards Eric Dixon and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl should not be overlooked either.

Those two are capable of giving Villanova some muscle in the front court, something that last year’s team lacked. Even with the team’s struggles early on, Villanova was still good enough to win the Big East title outright last season. While this is a credit to the Wildcats and the program that Wright has built, it also tells a bit about the conference. The league will be stronger this season, with Seton Hall likely being Villanova’s toughest challenger, but the reigning champs should be better as well. How Maryland would match up with the Wildcats depends upon the development of the Villanova front court, and how players such as Gillespie and Samuels handle being the team leaders. At this point in the year, Maryland would be the pick in a matchup because of the returning production. But Villanova is not going to be a fun matchup for anyone come season’s end.

9) North Carolina: Roy Williams’ Tar Heels will have to account for the loss of a considerable amount of production from last season’s team, as four starters and sixth man Nassir Little have all moved on. The lone returning starter is junior forward Garrison Brooks, who averaged 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore. But North Carolina adds a recruiting class led by Cole Anthony, who’s considered by many to be the top point guard (if not top overall player) in the 2019 class. Anthony, the son of former UNLV and NBA point guard Greg Anthony, can both score and distribute the basketball, and he already plays at the fast pace that Williams prefers. Power forward Armando Bacot should see immediate playing time, competing for minutes with the likes of Brooks, Brandon Huffman and Sterling Manley, and guards Jeremiah Francis and Anthony Harris Jr. will look to earn rotation spots on the perimeter.

Guards Leaky Black and Andrew Platek will look to figure more prominently in the Tar Heels attack, and the same can be said for senior Brandon Robinson. One more name to remember is that of Charleston Southern grad transfer Christian Keeling, who posted averages of 18.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season. Given the amount of production North Carolina lost from last season, Keeling is in a position similar to that of the highly-regarded freshman recruits: immediate production will be needed from him. Even with Anthony, Maryland looks like the better team at this point due to the many questions that North Carolina has to answer. ACC play will either harden Williams’ guys and have them ready for a deep tournament run, or it will expose some issues that North Carolina is unable to properly address.

10) Gonzaga: Like North Carolina, Gonzaga has to account for the loss of a lot of production from last season. Four starters are gone from the team that reached the Elite Eight, with Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke being first round picks in the NBA Draft. Add in point guard Josh Perkins and shooting guard Zach Norvell Jr., and Mark Few has some big holes to fill in his rotation. One “addition” that will help the Bulldogs is center Killian Tillie, who missed more than half of last season due to injury. He’s capable of scoring both inside and out, and given the personnel losses the redshirt sophomore from France stands to be a feature option offensively. Corey Kispert is the lone returning starter, averaging 8.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last season, with sophomore power forward Filip Petrusev being the other returnee of note.

Gonzaga may not return much from last year’s 32-win team, but as has been the case over the years Mark Few and his staff did a very good job on the recruiting trail. Texas A&M transfer Admon Gilder can give the Zags scoring on the perimeter, as can freshman Brock Ravet and grad transfer Ryan Woolridge (third team All-Conference USA at North Texas last season). And in the front court the Bulldogs add some quality options, including Drew Timme, Anton Watson and Oumar Ballo. Gonzaga’s early schedule should help the newcomers ease into their roles, with a November 15 visit to Texas A&M being the biggest test ahead of the Paradise Jam. How this team looks in November will be nothing like the Gonzaga outfit that takes the court in March. On paper Maryland would have the edge in a matchup between the two teams due to the experience/returning production factor, but the edge would only be a slight one because of the number of bodies Gonzaga could throw at Maryland inside.

Raphielle Johnson
Raphielle Johnson

BSL Analyst

Raphielle’s been writing about college sports for more than a decade, making the move to college basketball alone in 2013. Beginning his work with the former website CollegeHoops.net in 2003, Raphielle spent 3 years writing for NBCSports.com beginning 2013, covering CBB and the Olympics. In 2016, Raphielle joined Heavy.com. If there’s a game on, there’s a strong likelihood that he’s watching it.

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