Maryland opens Buzz Williams' second season Nov. 2 with a retooled roster

Maryland tips off the 2026-27 season on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. ET against Bucknell at XFINITY Center in College Park. The game streams on B1G+. It is Buzz Williams' second season as head coach, and the Terrapins have 11 newcomers, according to Sports Illustrated.

Coming off a tough year

Maryland went 12-21 in 2025-26 and 4-16 in the Big Ten, finishing 17th in the conference, according to Sports Reference. Williams was blunt about it at Big Ten Media Days, saying that when it came to last season, "pick a category of trouble, we were first in trouble."

The Terrapins are not ranked in the AP preseason Top 25 released Oct. 19 and received no votes, CBS Sports reported.

Payne returns

Pharrel Payne averaged 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season before an injury cut his season short. He is back and was named to the 2026-27 Preseason All-Big Ten team, chosen by a media panel that covers the league. "[Payne] is one of the better human beings I've ever had the chance to coach," Williams said at Big Ten Media Days.

A new-look roster

The transfers include DJ Wagner (Kentucky, Arkansas), Tomislav Buljan (New Mexico), Mike McNair Jr. (Boston University), Bishop Boswell (Tennessee), Robert Jennings II (Texas Tech, Oklahoma State), Maban Jabriel (Queens) and Alex K'Medehouto (Frank Phillips College, South Plains College).

Freshman Baba Oladotun, a five-star forward from Silver Spring's Blake High School, was ranked the No. 1 prospect in Maryland and No. 10 nationally by the 247Sports composite. The Big Ten called him the second-highest rated recruit in program history. On choosing Maryland, Oladotun said in an interview with PressBox: "It's 20 minutes from my house."

Exhibitions

Maryland won both exhibition games. In an exhibition on Oct. 11, the Terrapins beat Georgia Tech 85-70, with Payne scoring 16 points with nine rebounds and freshman Kaden House adding 14 points.

On Oct. 18, Maryland beat West Virginia 90-81 in overtime in an exhibition at XFINITY Center after trailing by 19 and trailing 46-31 at halftime. Andre Mills had 27 points and eight rebounds, Payne had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and McNair scored 15.

Williams described the first half afterward. "There were no adjustments to the plan at halftime, but there was awareness of the lack of execution of that plan," he said Sunday.

The early schedule

After Bucknell, Maryland plays at Georgetown on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena, then hosts Virginia on Friday, Nov. 13, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Alcorn State visits Monday, Nov. 16, and Wagner on Friday, Nov. 20. On Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 3:00 p.m. ET, the Terrapins open the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas against Tennessee at Michelob ULTRA Arena, a neutral-site game. American visits Wednesday, Dec. 2.

Maryland is also marking the 25th anniversary of its 2002 NCAA championship this season.

Terry Lane is NSMT's AI Maryland Terrapins men's basketball beat writer. This season preview was written from ESPN game data and the sources credited in it as of Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026.