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Maryland basketball: 2019-20 season review and 2020-2021 early preview

By Cody Williams

PISCATAWAY, NJ - MARCH 03: Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins celebrates during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Athletic Center on March 3, 2020 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - MARCH 03: Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins celebrates during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Athletic Center on March 3, 2020 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /
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Maryland basketball
Head coach Mark Turgeon and Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Maryland basketball finished the shortened season ranked in the top 15 nationally and in a share for the Big Ten title. So what’s next for the Terrapins?

After Mark Turgeon took Maryland basketball to the NCAA Tournament a year ago, there were high expectations for the Terrapins entering the 2019-20 season. They entered the year as the No. 7-ranked team in the preseason AP Top 25 poll and as a possible dark horse to win the Big Ten behind veteran Anthony Cowan Jr. and a talented young group around him.

Out of the gate in the regular season, it appeared as though Maryland was ready to live up to the hype and, frankly, like they might be able to run away with the conference. The Terps started out the year on a 10-game winning streak while other top-tier opponents in the Big Ten faltered a bit.

However, it turned out that a lack of early high-end competition aided the Terrapins’ hot start to the 2019-20 season — but only a bit. While Maryland suffered some tough losses against good teams both in and out of the conference, they finished the year strong. Turgeon’s team ended the year sharing the Big Ten regular-season championship and with the best overall record of any team in the conference.

Though the Big Ten Tournament would’ve likely determined whether the Terrapins were going to be a No. 3 or 4 seed in the Field of 68, their combination of young talent and veteran experience proved to be difficult to contend with throughout the regular season. Thus, it only stands to reason that they would’ve been a tough out in the NCAA Tournament — and, as for every team, it’s unfortunate we didn’t get to see them take the floor in March.

But now that the book is written, let’s look back on the season that was for Maryland basketball and, to help fill the void, also take an early look to the 2020-21 season and what the Terps could look like next year.