Best Maryland basketball players: Terrapins all-time starting lineup

31 Mar 2001: Juan Dixon #3 of Maryland shakes hands with Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski after Duke's 95-84 win during the semifinal of the Men's NCAA Basketball Final Four tournament at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Duke defeated Maryland 95-84 advancing to the NCAA Championship game. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr/ALLSPORT /

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Maryland basketball all-time starting lineup

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Many people were likely expecting to see either Len Bias or Buck Williams as the power forward for the all-time starting five in Maryland basketball history. But for as great as both of those players were, it’s too difficult to look past what Tom McMillen accomplished in his three years with the Terrapins to not give the 6-foot-11 big man the nod.

McMillen was an absolute force from the get-go with the Terps, averaging 20.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in his first season on the floor. He followed that up in the 1972-73 season with even better marks of 21.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game before finishing up his career by averaging 19.4 points and 10.0 boards per contest.

For his career, McMillen averaged 20.5 points and 9.8 rebounds and racked up accolades for his work on the hardwood. The forward was named to the NCAA All-Region Team in 1973, was a Consensus All-American, was named the MVP of the 1972 NIT and was named an All-ACC performer for all three years he played for the Terps.

Because he played only three years thanks to the time period he came around, McMillen doesn’t top any of the career records for Maryland. Despite playing only 88 games, though, he still ranks ninth all-time in scoring and eighth all-time in rebounds. With another year to produce, it’s hard not to think he wouldn’t be at the top of the record books in both areas.