In 2025-26 Maryland basketball had its fewest wins in a season since 1992-93. Can Buzz Williams turn things around with a new and improved roster?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Maryland basketball.
Could things have gone worse for Maryland basketball last season? Their 12 wins were the fewest in over three decades, and the .364 winning percentage was the lowest since 1988-89. It was a historic low for a program that is one of the proudest in college hoops.
But year two of Buzz Williams provides much optimism. He is known for rebuilding programs, so the thought is to throw year one out the window and let him cook. And boy did he assemble a roster worth paying attention to.
The first thought is the depth. There are a dozen players on this roster who either played for Maryland’s rotation last year, transferred from a Power 5 school, or transferred from a mid-major where they were a crucial part of the team. That gives Williams a lot to work with, which he didn’t have last year.
But even more important is the talent and potential of this roster. Former five-star D.J. Wagner comes on over from Arkansas and could be in for a monster senior year where he will certainly be a major part of this team’s offense. He’ll be joined by a fellow SEC guard in the backcourt, Bishop Boswell, which should set up for an electric 1-2 punch. Plus, rising star Andre Mills returns to set up a fantastic trio of guards/wings. Off the bench, Boston U sharpshooter Mike McNair Jr. and talented frosh Kaden House add even more guard depth.
Then there are the guys who Williams can plug and play into multiple positions. They likely won’t start, but Robert Jennings II and George Turkson help both the depth and character of this team.
And finally, the big men. Pharrel Payne is back and, when healthy, is one of the best in the Big Ten. He’s joined by New Mexico transfer Tomislav Buljan, who averaged a double-double last season. Off the bench is five-star recruit Baba Oladotun, who clearly could also start at the small forward or power forward position. He’s talented enough to really take this team and conference by storm.
Finally, Queens (NC) transfer Maban Jabriel and returning guard Guillermo Del Pino add that final reinforcement off the bench.
Altogether, Maryland basketball has just about everything you need to be a successful team in this era – depth, guys that can play multiple positions, guard play, shooting, and big men. Will it click? That’s honestly the biggest question, because everything else points to a team with a very high ceiling.
Head coach: Buzz Williams (20th season overall, 2nd at Maryland)
2025-26 record: 12-21 (4-16)
2026 postseason finish: No tournament
Notable departures:
- David Coit (13.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 2.8 APG)
- Elijah Saunders (9.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.9 APG, 41.1 3P%)
- Solomon Washington (9.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.1 SPG)
- Myles Rice (5.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.3 APG)
- Isaiah Watts (4.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.7 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- at Georgetown (Nov. 7)
- vs. Virginia (Nov. 13)
- vs. Tennessee (Nov. 24) – Players Era
- vs. Iowa State OR San Diego State (Nov. 26) – Players Era
- TBD (Nov. 27) – Players Era
- vs. South Carolina (Dec. 19)
Projected Rotation
PG: Bishop Boswell (6-4, 204, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 6.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 38.5 3P% (Tennessee)
SG: D.J. Wagner (6-4, 190, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 7.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 2.4 APG (Arkansas)
SF: Andre Mills (6-4, 205, Rs.-So.)
2025-26 stats: 12.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 APG
PF: Tomislav Buljan (6-9, 250, So.)
2025-26 stats: 13.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 54.0 FG% (New Mexico)
C: Pharrel Payne (6-9, 250, Rs.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 17.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.1 BPG, 62.4 FG%, 10 GP
*Suffered season-ending injury
6: Baba Oladotun (6-10, 205, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 11 ranked recruit
7: Mike McNair Jr. (6-5, 205, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 16.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 44.4 3P% (Boston U)
8: Kaden House (6-3, 175, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 49 ranked recruit
9: Robert Jennings II (6-8, 225, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 3.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 3 GP (Oklahoma State)
*Suffered season-ending injury
2024-25 stats: 5.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.3 APG
10: George Turkson Jr. (6-7, 220, Rs.-So.)
2025-26 stats: 1.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.2 APG, 33.3 FG%
11: Maban Jabriel (6-9, 205, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 7.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 43.2 3P% (Queens N.C.)
12: Guillermo Del Pino (6-5, 183, So.)
2025-26 stats: 1.5 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.5 APG, 28.3 FG%
13: Adama Tambedou (6-7, 220, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 144 ranked recruit
14: Alex K’Medehouto (7-0, 235, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 3.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 0.2 APG, 1.2 BPG, 74.3 FG% (South Plains College – JUCO)
15: Austin Brown (6-8, 215, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 255 ranked recruit
Maryland basketball team MVP: Pharrel Payne
Before he went down with an injury early last season, Payne was about to be a huge pain for the Big Ten. He was averaging nearly 18 points per game, collecting over seven boards per game, and was a problem on defense, too. Payne was crucial in some early-season wins over Marquette and UNLV and had some monster games against Iowa, Georgetown, and Wagner.
This season, you could make the case that he has more talent around him, which should free him up more. Wagner, Boswell, and Mills will all look to find their own shots; Buljan will command some sort of a flow in the offense, and Oladotun could be a massive part as the season gets going as well.
This should leave Payne as virtually un-doubleteamable. There are too many other factors for the Terps to key in on their star big man. And that could make him a matchup nightmare.
With so much depth on this team, the stats might not tell the whole story, but Payne could be in for one heck of a season.
Maryland basketball make-or-break player: DJ Wagner
Can everything finally come together for the former sought-after recruit? When Wagner committed to Kentucky in 2023, he was thought by some as the best high school talent in the country. He showed some promise as a freshman, followed John Calipari to Arkansas, and had two so-so seasons, falling down in the rotation a bit as a junior.
Now, as a senior, it’s Wagner’s last chance to prove himself, and he should be able to get more than the six shot attempts per game he garnered last year.
I’m not saying Wagner goes for 20 and 5, but I do see him being a valuable piece of this Maryland team. And if it clicks for him, it levels the Terps up into that upper echelon of the Big Ten.
Key statistic: Assists per game
Maryland had one of the most stale offenses in the entire country last season, barely averaging over 10 assists per game as a team. That isn’t acceptable for a Power 5 program that has long based itself on having great guards.
Luckily, the combo of Boswell, Wagner, and Mills almost automatically changes that in this starting lineup. Plus, with a talented freshman in House and an experienced vet in McNair, the Terps have a lot of guys who should be able to push that effort and enforce it.
Now, I will say this. The last time Buzz Williams had a team finish in the top 100 in assists per game (which isn’t asking a lot) was in 2018-19 at Virginia Tech. None of his Texas A&M teams ever did it. I’m not sure if that’s a style change or what, but you can’t expect to be a top-notch team if you don’t move the ball at least a little well.
Luckily, things should improve at least slightly for the Terps this season.
Maryland basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish:12th in the Big Ten
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance