Takeaways from Maryland men’s basketball’s 89-63 win over Wagner

Maryland men’s basketball endured a shaky first half against Wagner Tuesday, trailing for over three minutes of game time and looking second-best for stretches.

But the Terps pulled away for what ended up a comfortable 89-63 victory, quelling some of the concerns that popped up in Vegas and sparking some momentum ahead of their first games against Big Ten opponents.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s action.

Solomon Washington can be a key to Buzz Ball… 

With Solomon Washington returning to the court after missing the team’s first eight games due to an ankle injury, Maryland saw a game that felt far more like what was expected from their new head coach.

“It was more yucky,” Washington said. “That’s what we do. There’s a lot of extra effort plays and a lot of guys diving on the ball. That’s Buzz Williams basketball, right?”

The Terps were strong on the boards, winning the rebounding battle, 48-37. They scored 40 points in the paint, slightly under half the team’s total. They also shot 45 free throws, their most in a game so far this season.

Washington was central to those efforts. He grabbed six boards, tied for second-most on the team. Of his 10 points, six came from inside the paint, and the other four came from the free-throw line.

“He helps us from an athleticism standpoint, helps us from a length standpoint, can guard the ball…” Williams said. “He contributed … in many respects, on both sides of the ball.”

Williams won’t rely on Washington to be a primary scoring threat — particularly from the outside, where he put up an uninspiring 3-point attempt early in the game — but he looked comfortable on the dribble and in rotations on the court.

Washington has the ability to throw down highlight dunks and, of course, is a massive rebounding help. But the defensive ability is perhaps what Maryland needed most. With Washington on the court, the Terps appeared far more solid. Williams’ only complaint was his wind — the forward played 25 minutes and looked gassed in stretches, understandable in the first game back.

While Wagner is a notable step down from its Vegas opponents, Maryland is trending towards its identity. Getting the guy who best defines it back will only help.

…but this is still Pharrel Payne’s team.

The injury Payne sustained against Marquette not being as bad as first feared is perhaps the best thing to come from Maryland’s non-conference slate. He simply elevates Maryland’s floor.

Through the early season, Payne leads the teams in points, rebounds and blocks per game, and they needed all of those things from him Tuesday.

Maryland’s backcourt came out astonishingly cold — the first made basket by a guard came with 1:12 remaining in the first half. Darius Adams, Myles Rice, Andre Mills, Diggy Coit, Isaiah Watts and Guillermo Del Pino combined to make just two of 18 attempts in the first half.

Even the free throws, an important source of offense for Maryland, weren’t falling as often — the Terps went just 10-of-17 through 20 minutes.

The only Maryland player that looked to be playing at their best was Payne, and he sustained that level across the game.

Payne played 29 minutes and finished with 30 points and 10 boards, his second double-double of the season. He went 8-of-11 from the floor, playing efficient basketball.

“He commands attention,” Williams said. “We try to have the right dose of where we get him touches.”

At times, it felt like Payne was battling the entire Seahawks five by himself — and winning. His ability to score through contact saved Maryland in the early goings, when the Terps were unable to establish an advantage. It also earned Payne several trips to the charity stripe, where he went 14-of-20.

The performance only continued in the second half, with a few highlight-reel blocks and dunks cementing this game as one of Payne’s finest in a Maryland jersey — no small feat.

Terps still developing as Big Ten slate nears

Maryland improved to 6-3 on the season, but its schedule only gets harder from here. Its next two games come at Iowa and against Michigan, two opponents that will seriously test Maryland.

The Terps’ early efforts have appeared uninspiring at times, but the team’s situation needs to be taken into consideration.

According to Williams, with Washington’s return, Maryland was able to get five-on-five reps in practice Sunday for the first time since Oct. 29. A brand-new team, where the players desperately needed to build chemistry, was unable to get full reps in practice for the opening month of the season due to several injuries.

That has led to several unconventional strategies — like spending chunks of games in an experimental mode, or spending their pregame shootarounds practicing in-game situations.

“Christy Winters-Scott and [Ed Cohen], they’re like, ‘We’ve never been to a shootaround where you guys just play,’” Williams said. “And I go, ‘For sure in December you haven’t seen one of those. We’re just trying to make up for missed time.’”

Williams has given his team reps whenever they can — they played a four-freshman lineup for 10 minutes in the second half of the Alabama game, he said, because the youngsters simply needed time on the court. The coaches need to decide if they can play meaningful minutes.

Entering the game, Maryland was ranked No. 203 in NET, one of the statistics relied upon by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. That was behind Tuesday’s opponents Wagner, which came in at No. 201.

But Williams isn’t concerned about the team’s current rankings now — because ultimately, he can’t be. In year one of building his program, March is more important than November. Time will tell if that approach pays off.