October 30, 2025 - Basketball Guide

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Darius Adams Dribbled into the paint during Maryland men’s basketball’s 82-81 exhibition win over UMBC on Oct. 27, 2025. (Akash Raghu/The Diamondback)

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Maryland basketball moves into longawaited ‘first-class’ practice facility

By Ben Geffner, Faith Harris | Sportsreporters

Standing behind a glass window overlooking the Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center court, Brenda Frese observes.

The Maryland women’s basketball’s coach has seen her team take the hardwood for consistent workouts in the Terps’ new facility over recent weeks. Oftentimes, Frese advises players to take time away to rest — a testament to the stateof-the-art facility and something she tabs as a great problem.

The 45,000-square foot building — home to Maryland men’s and women’s basketball — boasts a dedicated strength and conditioning room, dual custom locker rooms, team suites and sports medicine spaces.

“It’s first class in every way,” Frese said. “When your players are spending so much time on their craft, you have to be able to have the resources and facilities to go behind it.”

A new tunnel also connects the new performance center with Xfinity Center, Maryland’s 17,950-seat arena, and the facility walls are lined with history — from Terps’ retired numbers to professional draft picks.

The facility first broke ground in June 2023 before officially opening this fall in advance of the 2025-26 season. A two year construction window saw the installation of 1,400 metal panels, more than 300 tons of structural steel and 20,000 cubic yards of excavated dirt.

the respect and support the university has for its athletes, Poffenbarger shared.

“It shows that they’re all in for our program and they’re all in for our success,” Poffenbarger said.

Maryland basketball’s new home will be a standout space to attract recruits. While the heart of the program speaks for itself, the facility can host more official and unofficial visits — something Frese has done.

The Terps, now headed by first-year coach Buzz Williams, welcomed in a flurry of additions this offseason.

Kansas transfer David Coit emphasized the importance of having a dedicated performance center. Despite current pressures around revenue sharing and name, image and likeness, program culture and facilities still take precedence, the graduate guard said.

“Money is not a thing that’s discussed … It’s also not valued as much as people think,” Coit

said. “We’re in a new space. We’re in a new environment. We know everything is brand new, so we got to make sure we attack it … with a lot of gratitude.”

Maryland men’s and women’s basketball reeled off dominant 27 and 25-win seasons last year, respectively, along with Sweet Sixteen appearances.

Now entering the new season with revamped rosters and a myriad of new facility resources, the two Terps basketball programs look for sustained success — complimented by a new environment that echoes the legacy of the past.

“We get to use [the new facility] every day, but if it wasn’t for the teams and the culture before us, we wouldn’t probably have something as great as this,” Poffenbarger said.

The Terps were formerly the only Big Ten program without a standalone basketball facility. The programs split time on Xfinity Center’s courts with the volleyball and wrestling programs.

But the program continued to attract talent while working with limited space. Women’s basketball guard Saylor Poffenbarger transferred to Maryland in 2024, leaving behind a school that already housed a designated practice facility. The new center represents

Breaking down Maryland men’s basketball’s 2025-26 schedule

By Ben Geffner | Deputysportseditor,men’sbasketballreporter

The Big Ten released Maryland men’s basketball’s conference schedule on Sept. 19, finalizing its full 2025-26 campaign.

The Terps’ 30-game regular season begins with a neutral site matchup against Coppin State at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena on Nov. 3 — part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series.

Maryland hosts Georgetown on Nov. 7 in its home opener and will play Marquette in Wisconsin Nov. 15 as the Terps’ first true road test of the season.

The third-ever meeting with the Golden Eagles comes on the back end of a home-and-home series. Maryland fell 74-78 to Marquette at Xfinity Center in last year’s contest.

A Thanksgiving week trip to Las Vegas for the Players Era Championship tournament headlines Maryland’s nonconference slate.

The Terps, led by first-year coach Buzz Williams and a revamped roster, will play UNLV on Nov. 24 and Gonzaga Nov. 25.

Maryland opens conference play at Iowa on Dec. 6 and then returns to College Park for a Big Ten home-opener with Michigan — the Terps’ last conference game until January.

Michigan, one of the Big Ten’s projected frontrunners, hauled in the third-best transfer portal class in the country, reported ESPN. The Terps will look to get revenge after a one-point loss to the Wolverines at last season’s

last season.

Maryland closes out 2025 with a trip to Virginia on Dec. 20 before hosting Old Dominion on Dec. 28 — the last two nonconference games of the regular season. The Terps will stay home for matchups against Oregon and Indiana in the first week of the new year.

January will close out with a challenging pair of road contests starting with Illinois on Jan. 21. Maryland enters the match having won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Fighting Illini.

The two-game road trip concludes in East Lansing three days later against Michigan State — a team led by coach Tom Izzo that returns more than half of its roster.

The Spartans sported the fourth-highest defensive rating in the nation last season, according to KenPom. Maryland has lost its last seven matchups against Michigan State, a streak dating back to 2021-22.

The Terps host Purdue on Feb. 1, the first game of the spring academic semester. Despite losing four of its last five matchups against the Boilermakers, Maryland has won four of the five most recent meetings played in College Park.

After spending much of the first half of the season at home, four of Maryland’s final seven regular season games are away. The Terps will close out the regular season at Xfinity Center March 8 against Illinois in a game that could

Non-conference SCHEDULE

vs. Coppin State*

Nov. 3, 6:30 p.m

vs. Georgetown Nov. 7, 6 p.m.

vs. Alcorn State Nov. 11, 7 p.m.

@ Marquette Nov. 15, 2 p.m.

vs. Mount St. Mary’s Nov. 19, 7 p.m.

vs. University of Nevada, Las Vegas* Nov. 24, 12 a.m.

vs. Gonzaga* Nov. 25, 9:30 p.m.

vs. Wagner Dec. 2, 8 p.m.

@ Virginia Dec. 20, 6 p.m.

vs. Old Dominion Dec. 29, 6 p.m.

*Neutral site All times in EST

Big Ten announces Maryland women’s basketball’s 2025-26 schedule

By Faith Harris | Women’sbasketballreporter

Non-conference SCHEDULE

vs. Loyola Maryland

Nov. 3, 7 p.m.

vs. University of Maryland,

Baltimore County

Nov. 6, 6 p.m.

vs. Georgetown

Nov. 9, 1 p.m.

vs. Towson

Nov. 13, 7 p.m.

vs. Princeton

Nov. 16, 1 p.m.

vs. Bethune-Cookman

Nov. 20, 6 p.m.

vs. George Mason

Nov. 23, 2:30 p.m.

vs. Kentucky*

Nov. 26, 6:30 p.m.

vs. Hofstra*

Nov. 27, 4 p.m.

vs. Mount St. Mary’s

Dec. 3, 7 p.m.

vs. Delaware State

Dec. 10, 6 p.m.

vs. Central Connecticut State

Dec. 19, 11 a.m.

*Neutral site

All times in EST

The Big Ten announced Maryland women’s basketball’s 2025-26 conference slate on Sept. 18, lining the Terps’ path in their quest to return to the Sweet 16.

Maryland will end a relatively light non-conference schedule and visit Minnesota on Dec. 7 to begin Big Ten play. For the second consecutive season, the Terps will start their conference slate on the road.

Park for the Terps’ final homestand on Feb. 22 and Feb. 25, respectively. Michigan will host Maryland’s final match on Feb. 28, where the Terps look to get revenge from their 98-71 loss in the Big Ten tournament.

With minimal shakeups from the draft and transfer portal, USC and UCLA appear set to dominate the Big Ten for a second straight season.

The Trojans lost Kiki Iriafen and Rayah Marshall to the WNBA Draft but secured the commitment of No. 1 recruit Jasmine Davidison. The Bruins, who visited the Final Four last season, return star Lauren Betts and picked up her younger sister, Sienna, the No. 2 recruit in the Maryland aims to challenge the West Coast’s reign if the roster can remain healthy. Picking up at least one win on the California trip will be crucial for the Terps if they want a chance of claiming their first Big Ten title since

Brenda Frese Women’sbasketball headcoach

Brenda Frese highlights health, newcomers at Maryland women’s basketball media day

By Faith Harris, Holliday Woodard | Women’sbasketballreporters

Coach Brenda Frese returned to the podium for her 24th Maryland women’s basketball media day on Thursday, introducing an international-heavy team with seven new players. Frese is focused on roster health — an issue that plagued the Terps last season.

“Probably our biggest opponent will be staying healthy,” Frese said.

Maryland was 16-1 last season before losing three straight games after guard Bri McDaniel tore her ACL. Starting guard Saylor Poffenbarger nursed an injury through the second half of the season heading into the NCAA tournament.

McDaniel has made progress toward a return but is not set to open the season. The senior will be monitored by staff on her own timeline.

“With an ACL … I mean, she had that surgery late January,”

Okananwa averaged 10 points per game at Duke, helping the Blue Devils reach the Elite Eight last season. Frese also brought in Yarden Garzon, Indiana’s leading scorer last season, for her final collegiate campaign. Like Maryland’s returners, both carry the experience of being eliminated by South Carolina

They pair well with returners like Poffenbarger, Frese said. The redshirt senior’s size and shooting abilities are similar to Garzon’s, and Frese is excited to see the two of them share the court.

Injuries limited the Terps’ defensive capabilities last season. Maryland allowed 70.5 points per game — sixth most in the conference. But Frese has already developed multiple new play combinations to shore up the defense. A new roster that’s adapted quickly, combined with veteran commitment, and Maryland’s staff has been given the freedom to focus on developing specific

“The IQ of this team is off the charts with how quickly they pick up plays,” Frese said. Maryland pairs that experience with a dominant freshman class. Three of the freshmen, including redshirts, are designated point guards who Frese appears ready to rely on.

“I really want to start games,” Slovenian freshman Lea Bartelme said. “I’m excited to see how basketball looks here, because it’s gonna be probably a little bit different than in Europe.”

The Terps are scheduled to play their first exhibition game Sunday against NC State, giving Bartelme and other international freshmen players their first game experience in the United States.

Frese has built a roster filled with new additions — one that carries high expectations. It’s been an exciting offseason, she said.

“I know for all of us, we’re really looking forward to what this journey is going to be like,” Frese said. “You’re going to love watching this team.”

How Brenda Frese, Maryland women’s basketball plan to replace lost production this season

By Holliday Woodard | Women’sbasketballreporter

The last game of Maryland women’s basketball’s 2024-25 season boiled down to four points in a Sweet 16 loss to South Carolina.

The game also marked the final moment in a Terps uniform for several key players. Shyanne Sellers, last year’s top point scorer, was drafted by the Golden State Valkyries and is currently a free agent. Sarah Te-Biasu, Christina Dalce and Amari DeBerry graduated. The transfer portal took Emily Fisher to Nebraska and Allie Kubek to Florida State. Coach Brenda Frese knew she needed to fill those holes in the offseason. Frese’s recruiting vision focused on ball-handling, three-point shooting and dominant defensive play. Traditionally running a four-out offense, she recruited guards who can play multiple positions.

The Terps will start their 2025-2026 season with seven new players.

The depth of Maryland’s roster continues past the new Terps. Breanna Williams, Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu and Kyndal Walker redshirted as freshmen. Sophomore Ava McKennie, senior Kaylene Smikle and graduate student Mir McLean are returners to the team. Senior Bri McDaniel is coming off an ACL injury.

“We can play a lot of different ways and styles based on the scout, based on how we want to play,” Frese said. “The

Lost Production

nice thing is, having 15 players on the roster, you have that depth and the ability to play that way.”

Yarden Garzon

Garzon transferred to Maryland after three seasons at Indiana. The 6-foot-3 guard became the Hoosiers’ alltime leader in three pointers with 220, and was the team’s leading scorer in the 2024-2025 season.

“Her work ethic is amazing. She’s constantly working out. She’s an amazing player. But she’s always hungry … and I think that that’s something that we need for our team,” Saylor Poffenbarger said. “She wants to win.”

With three years in the conference, Garzon has experience competing against Frese and Maryland. She has now switched sides. Frese assured that Garzon will be in the starting lineup and highlighted her offensive versatility, where she can play shooting guard through center.

Oluchi Okananwa

Okananwa, a 5-foot-10 transfer from Duke, fills the defensive need.

“Penetrator, slasher, a lot of athleticism,” Frese said, describing Okananwa.

The back-court guard is experienced and controls the ball well, Frese added. She earned the ACC Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2025.

Outside the transfer portal, Frese welcomes five freshmen, three of them international.

“This freshman class is different, and a lot of them are going to see significant, impactful minutes,” Frese said.

Lea Bartelme

Bartelme is a freshman from Kisovec, Slovenia. She has played on the Slovenian National Team since 2023 and was named to the “All-Star 5” for the WABA league in 2024 and 2025.

“Being a freshman and coming that far from your family is hard in itself, and I think she’s just really stood out with her poise and the way she’s trying to run our offense,” Poffenbarger said.

“She’s young, but she’s at the same time doing a great job of getting us into our offense.”

The 5-foot-8 point guard is learning the playbook to be able to run the offense, according to Poffenbarger. She continues to be a sponge, Poffenbarger said, even working on how to better converse with her teammates.

Rainey Welson

Welson, another true freshman, joins the team from Greenville, Wisconsin. She was ranked No. 34 by ESPN and No. 33 by 247Sports composite. Frese described Welson as a versatile guard adding to the team’s depth in the backcourt. with a consistent ability to drive to the basket and shoot three-pointers.

Addi Mack

Mack, a freshman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, excels as a scorer. With 4,687 career high school points, she is No. 2 on Minnesota’s all-time scoring list. As a high school senior, Mack was the No. 1 active career leader in scoring in the United States. Frese plans to use her as a guard.

“I’m very confident in my abilities, and I’m excited to see what I can add to the team and just be able to play with all the high-level players around me,” Mack said Sept. 5.

Marya Boiko

Now-graduated Dalce and DeBerry brought size and height to Maryland last season. The 6-foot-4 Boiko from Minsk, Belarus, helps fill that void.

“Marya has made just incredible strides as she’s gotten in here to give us just a great presence. I mean, it’s a name nobody knows right now,” Frese said.

She was a Bronze medalist in the 2025 Russian Cup and represented Belarus at the U-20 national team level. Boiko got significant minutes at the open practice Saturday, finishing second in points with 14, just fewer than Okananwa’s 21.

Nicole Fritea

The 6-foot-2 freshman adds more height to the roster. Fritea comes to Maryland from Arad, Romania. She was a member of the Romanian U-20 National Team this past summer.

Frieta is one of the two forwards that Frese recruited. She used her physical presence under the basket to lead the Romanian national team in rebounding.

Transfer players

Previous School: Indiana

Averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 2024-25.

SOURCE: ESPN

Oluchi Okananwa

Junior

Previous School: Duke

Averaged 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 2024-25.

Buzz Williams tempers expectations at Maryland men’s basketball’s media day

By Harrison Rich, Ben Geffner | Sportseditors,men’sbasketballreporters

Maryland men’s basketball held its annual media day Thursday at Xfinity Center. It was the first chance for coach Buzz Williams and his players to talk about the team entering the 2025-26 season.

Here are three takeaways from what was said.

Impact of Boot Camp

Maryland’s three-week fall program, tabbed ‘Boot Camp,’ promoted team growth over system progression. Though the program put the Terps further behind schematically, it provides invaluable growth, Williams said.

The veteran coach focused on establishing leaders and followers whwwile holding players accountable in individual workouts.

“[It’s] a lot of character development, a lot of growing as a man,” redshirt freshman guard Andre Mills said about Boot Camp. “It brings our team together.”

Conditioning was a staple in the September sessions. Crosscourt sprints and rim taps were daily motions. The shared suffering created commonality and growth, Williams said.

“You can’t let the fatigue get to you,” senior center Collin Metcalf said. “When you let the fatigue get to you, you put your hands on your knees, now you got an extra sprint. You don’t make the sprint, now you got to run it again.”

Buzz still unsure on roster makeup

At his opening press conference in April, Williams said he planned to study the Big Ten to determine his play style. He didn’t provide much clarity on it Thursday, adding it’s hard to place expectations on a completely new team.

Williams said Wednesday was the team’s 26th preseason practice. He added there’s been a lot of volatility, estimating only a handful were highly efficient practices.

“We’ve had more bad days than we’ve had good days,” he said.

“I don’t think that those 15 players

would say the same thing. Their numbers would probably be inverse,” Williams said. “What we are trying to be consumed with is, can we be a little better tomorrow than we were yesterday?”

Mills, a Texas A&M transfer, said he expects the team to blend well together because of their different styles of play. Although they’ll likely face an adjustment period, Mills believes it will come together at the right time.

For senior forward Elijah Saunders, a Virginia transfer, he knows one thing is nonnegotiable on a Williams-coached team.

“Compete and play hard and play physical,” Saunders said.

Veteran leaders stepping into new roles

Underclassmen make up half of Maryland’s roster. Widespread turnover has allowed veteran newcomers to become leaders — a gradual process rooted in vocality.

Saunders, entering his final year of college basketball, looks to set a precedent for the future’s growth long after he’s departed College Park.

“[I’m] always in the gym, always trying to lead,” Saunders said. “So when [the underclassmen] get to this point, they can look back and have a positive view.”

Graduate guard Diggy Coit, a Kansas transfer, said Williams has pushed him to a different leadership standard. Maryland’s coach challenged Coit to translate his on-court focus to off-court development — and vice versa.

“I haven’t really thought about being a grad transfer … being the oldest on the team,” Coit said, “[Williams] makes you think about life as a man … and being a good person.”

5 numbers that could define Maryland men’s basketball’s season

The Buzz Williams era in College Park is here.

Maryland men’s basketball will unofficially kick off its season Monday night in an exhibition game against UMBC. It’ll be fans’ first opportunity to watch an overhauled program.

Last season’s “Crab Five” led the Terps to their first Sweet 16 appearance in nine years. But former coach Kevin Willard’s departure to Villanova tainted a strong season, leaving Williams with a completely barren cupboard and an entirely new roster.

The Diamondback compiled five numbers that help explain what could define the Terps’ 2025 season.

11: The number of points Isaiah Watts averaged last season, the highest from a player on Maryland’s roster

There isn’t a clear top offensive option on Maryland’s team entering the season. Watts, Myles Rice, Pharrel Payne and Elijah Saunders each averaged between 10 and 11 points last season.

Not having an offensive superstar isn’t inherently a bad thing. The Big Ten champions, Michigan State, didn’t roster a player who averaged more than 12.8 points a game. Instead, seven Spartans averaged between seven and 13 points, proving to be one of the most balanced offenses in the country.

The Terps could follow that offensive model. Or maybe a player like Rice, Watts or Diggy Coit could take a sizable leap and become the team’s clear first option. Only time will tell.

15: The number of new players on Maryland’s roster

Fifteen players, you say? But that’s everyone! Correct.

Maryland lost its entire roster to graduation, the draft or the transfer portal after Willard left. The Terps’ new

By Harrison Rich | Sportseditor,men’sbasketballreporter

coach then spent his next two months signing four players from Texas A&M, five high school recruits and six from other schools.

Williams could have brought back a scholarship player or two from last year’s roster, but he chose not to. He started from scratch instead, spending lots of time over the offseason focused on team bonding. The team went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and different sites in Washington, D.C. Williams also ran a multi-week boot camp in September.

It’s still unlikely the team will have on-court chemistry from the start, as Maryland was one of just two Big Ten teams to completely rebuild its roster.

16.5: The average number of wins for Buzz Williams in his first season at a new school

Williams has made the NCAA tournament 11 times in his 18 years as a head coach. But of his four previous stops — New Orleans, Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M — the Golden Eagles were the only team that Williams led to the Big Dance in his first season at the helm.

Williams’ teams average a .508 winning percentage in his first season as head coach. That would place Maryland in the bottom of the Big Ten and out of contention for the NCAA tournament.

But this offseason was different than any Williams experienced in the past, he said, because it was his first time taking a new job during the Name, Image and Likeness and revenue sharing era. So for better or for worse, things could be different this time around.

41.4: Texas A&M’s offensive rebound percentage last season

If there’s one thing to know about Williams, it’s that he’s obsessed with offensive rebounds. Texas A&M led

the country in offensive rebounding rate each of the last two seasons and ranked top seven or better in the SEC in all six of his seasons.

Williams said he isn’t sure what the Terps’ offensive style will be. But he does know he wants his teams to “shoot more balls than the other team.” Grabbing offensive rebounds to produce second-chance points is a large part of that equation.

It’s fair to expect Williams’ first team in College Park to finish close to the top of the conference in the category. The coach brought with him two of the Aggies’ top four offensive rebounders last season in Payne and Solomon Washington.

Saunders has good size at 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, Northeastern transfer Collin Metcalf grabbed two offensive rebounds a game last season and redshirt freshman forward George Turkson Jr. touts himself as a hardnosed player.

-7.4: The drop in Myles Rice’s rim field goal percentage from his first to second season

Rice is a prime candidate to lead Maryland in scoring this season. In order for that to happen, though, the 6-foot-3 Indiana transfer will have to perform closer to his 2023-24 level at Washington State than his showing last season.

Rice converted on 53.6 percent of his shot attempts at the rim last season, according to Bart Torvik, a below average clip for a lead guard. He shot 61 percent at the rim two years ago at Washington State on 44 more attempts.

As the possible engine of Maryland’s offense, Williams is betting that Rice returns to that form, when he was the second-leading scorer for a Washington State team that won an NCAA tournament game. If Rice produces another inefficient and underwhelming campaign, however, it could spell trouble for the Terps’ offense.