Maryland basketball: 3 starting lineup options for 2020-2021 season

After finishing last season as a top-12 team, Maryland basketball will have an uphill climb getting back to those heights in the Terps’ 2020-21 campaign.

Entering the 2019-20 season as the No. 7 team in the country, it’s fair to say big things were expected from Mark Turgeon and Maryland basketball. And while they may have finished the truncated season ranked lower in the AP Top 25 (No. 12) than when the year began, it’s hard to say that it wasn’t a successful campaign for the Terrapins.

Led by the strong duo of veteran guard Anthony Cowan Jr. and sophomore forward Jalen Smith amidst a breakout season, the Terps enjoyed one of their best seasons in recent memory. They finished the year with a 24-7 overall record and, perhaps more importantly, won a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship after posting a 14-6 mark in the league.

Since joining the Big Ten in the 2014-15 season, this was the first time Maryland basketball has finished even tied for first in the conference. And it’s a shame that this iteration of the Terps didn’t get to prove their merit in the NCAA Tournament after its cancellation. But now it’s up to Turgeon to try and keep the ship sailing forward in College Park.

That, however, will be easier said than done. Cowan will graduate having exhausted his eligibility, which is a huge loss for the program. Furthermore, Smith has declared for the 2020 NBA Draft and, as he’s projected to be a first-round pick, it seems almost certain he won’t be returning for his junior year.

After missing out on big-name graduate transfers, Maryland is now left to their own devices to try and replace their two biggest contributors from this past season and stay in the mix atop the Big Ten. Doing so, of course, won’t be an easy task. But taking all of this into account, let’s take a look at how the Maryland basketball starting lineup for the 2020-21 could shake out with three different scenarios.