Maryland’s year two under Buzz Williams got its first unofficial look Sunday, and the Terrapins left UMBC with a convincing 85-70 exhibition win over Georgia Tech.
The early shape of the game was set by Maryland’s defense and the pressure it put on the Yellow Jackets. The Terps forced 10 first-half turnovers and turned them into 22 points, while Georgia Tech shot under 30% from the field and 17% from deep before the break. Maryland also led by as many as 27 points and nearly doubled Georgia Tech’s scoring in the paint, with Pharrel Payne’s presence inside making life difficult for the Yellow Jackets around the rim.
A lot of the first-half buzz came from freshman guard Kaden House, who ended up fouling out with eight minutes left but still put together a strong debut. He scored 14 points and grabbed two steals in just 14 minutes, and his defense stood out almost as much as the scoring.
House opened his account with a corner three, then came right back with a steal in the halfcourt for an easy dunk. He did it again after another steal led to a dunk that pushed Maryland ahead, 30-18.
His nine points at halftime led all scorers.
Maryland’s starting group featured Payne, Austin Brown, DJ Wagner, Mike McNair and Andre Mills, with Tomislav Buljan inactive and Lukas Sotell not dressed. Wagner showed he could create around the rim, and Mills flashed the kind of downhill aggression that marked his freshman season. Baba Oladotun, the five-star freshman from Blake (Md.), had a quiet Maryland debut, finishing with five points and one rebound while picking up four fouls in 21 minutes.
The second half opened with Maryland extending the margin again, as a 7-0 burst made it 52-26 after the second of Robert Jennings’ free throws. Georgia Tech answered with an 8-0 run to trim the gap back under 20, but Maryland never seriously had to sweat the result.
Buzz Williams went to the bench, then smiled on after an uncontested Pharrel Payne dunk pushed the lead back to 20. Even when Georgia Tech shot better than 60% from the field in the second half, Maryland stayed in control, with Alex K'Medehouto joining the freshmen on the floor to help finish it off.
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Marylands New-Look Roster Gave Terps Fans Plenty To Like
Marylands exhibition win over Georgia Tech offered an early look at what this new roster can do, and there was plenty for Terps fans to file away. The 85-70 result came with 14 players getting into the game, and the mix of production was encouraging, from Pharrel Payne and DJ Wagner to freshman Kaden House, who fit right in during his first extended taste of college action.
Houses quick impact was one of the nights more promising signs, especially with Maryland showing better rebounding and more pop from long range than it did at times last season. Even with the overall performance looking cleaner, the free-throw line left a little room for concern, a reminder that exhibition progress can still come with a few loose ends to sort out before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces A Bigger Test Than Fans Might Think
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From Marylands perspective, the interesting part is how much of Ohio States rotation could be back in the mix after last weekend. The Buckeyes were already tested against the Terps, and now theyre expecting reinforcements as Indiana tries to match an Ohio State mark from the College Football Playoff era. If the Hoosiers are going to make this one uncomfortable, their defensive readiness has to show up early, because the Buckeyes do not look like a team eager to give away any more breathing room. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Fans Got An Encouraging First Look At Buzz Williams' Team
Buzz Williams got a useful early read on his Maryland roster in Sundays exhibition win over Georgia Tech, and there were enough promising signs inside Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena to make fans pay attention. The Terps looked active on the defensive end, controlled the glass and got production from both the starting group and the bench in an 85-70 win, with Payne putting up 16 points and nine rebounds and Kaden House adding 14 points as a reserve.
For a team trying to establish depth and lean on its incoming pieces, that kind of balance matters in October. Maryland also used the night to give supporters a first look at a roster that has real intrigue beyond the usual top names, including players tied to the 2026 class, but the exhibition was not only about what went right. There was at least one early setback to monitor, and it leaves a small but notable question hanging over the progress Williams wanted to see. [Read more 🡒]