Preview: Terps face first test of season, hosting No. 15 Marquette Friday night

Photo courtesy of Austin Desisto/Maryland Terrapin

The 2024-25 Maryland men’s basketball squad has won each of its first three games by at least 30 points, something no team in program history had ever accomplished.

Granted, their opponents to this point have not exactly been threatening. Out of Manhattan, Mount St. Mary’s and Florida A&M, The Mount had the best 2023-24 season, finishing 13-19. The Jaspers and Rattlers each failed to reach 10 wins.

Enter Marquette. Led by head coach Shaka Smart, the 15th-ranked Golden Eagles have not had a losing season in his tenure. They’ve advanced further and further in the NCAA Tournament in each of Smart’s years, losing in the Elite 8 a season ago.

Senior guard Kameron Jones is on a tear thus far, averaging 22.7 points and 6.3 assists per game, with two other starters both averaging at least 15 points and 6 rebounds.

Suffice it to say, Friday night against Marquette will be the Terps’ toughest test of the season.

“They’re a much more balanced team than just Kam,” said head coach Kevin Willard. “They have five shooters on the floor where last year, they maybe had three-and-a-half.”

Like Maryland, Marquette comes into this game having won its first three at home. They’re most recent, an 8-point win over Central Michigan, saw four starters reach double-figure scoring.

As for the Terps, each game has had a different leading scorer. Freshman center Derik Queen had an explosive debut against Manhattan, logging 22 points and 20 rebounds in just 27 minutes. Sophomore guard Rodney Rice followed with a career performance of his own, notching 28 against Mount St. Mary’s. Monday against Florida A&M, senior big Julian Reese stole the show with 21 points and 9 boards.

Junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie has really been the Terrapins’ most consistent performer, averaging 13.7 points per game and turning the ball over just twice in 72 minutes of action. His plus-minus of +90 also leads the team.

The story for Maryland, though, continues to be its suffocating defense. The Terps have forced 56 turnovers through three games, including two 10-second violations in the opening minutes Monday night versus Florida A&M. Steals account for 34 of those forced turnovers, and they have also blocked 13 shots.

The only previous meeting between the Terrapins and Golden Eagles came in 2019, when guard Anthony Cowan Jr. posted 22 points in an 84-63 Maryland win.

Friday’s tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and will air on FS1.