Maryland’s exhibition run shifts into a different gear Sunday afternoon when West Virginia comes to College Park, and the matchup should tell a lot more than the first tune-up did.
The Terrapins handled Georgia Tech in Baltimore, but this one looks more like a real stress test. The building is Xfinity Center, and the questions are sharper now: can Maryland hold up inside, can its perimeter defenders keep pace, and which of the new pieces starts to separate from the pack?
The frontcourt matchup is the most obvious place to start. Maryland is expected to get new forward Tomislav Buljan back after he missed the Georgia Tech exhibition with a minor injury, and that gives the Terps another body in the middle alongside Pharrel Payne, who stood out in the opener. That duo will see a much tougher challenge from West Virginia’s expected starting bigs, 6-foot-9 forward Brenen Lorient and 6-foot-10 center Mouhamed Sylla.
Sylla transferred in from Georgia Tech after starting 15 of his 16 appearances in 2025-26, when he averaged 9.6 points and 7.2 rebounds and posted five double-doubles. Lorient brings his own problems. He started every game for the Mountaineers, shot better than 54% from the field, averaged nearly 12 points, and blocked a team-high 45 shots.
Maryland should still have real depth up front once Robert Jennings is folded into the mix, but Sunday gives the Terps a better read on just how sturdy that unit can be.
The other big proving ground is on the perimeter, where Maryland’s guards are about to see a different kind of challenge. West Virginia freshman Miles Sadler, a former five-star prospect out of Bella Vista Academy, is expected to handle a big chunk of the ball-handling duties and could help push the Mountaineers’ tempo. That makes for an interesting test against a Maryland group that won the backcourt battle against Georgia Tech.
Kaden House already flashed in his unofficial debut, picking up two steals - one that he turned into a dunk - while scoring 14 points in 14 minutes. Now he gets a chance to do it against a former high school rival.
Bishop Boswell, who sat out the second half against Georgia Tech, is another Terp with something to prove and a chance to lock down a role as the team’s top perimeter defender. Andre Mills will also be asked to show his two-way value in a much tougher assignment than he had a week ago.
West Virginia’s guards aren’t short on firepower either. Finley Bizjack arrives after earning All-Big East Third Team honors at Butler, where he averaged 17.1 points in 2025-26, shot 42.5% from the field and just over 36% from three across three seasons. Boise State transfer Javan Buchanan is also expected to be an important part of the rotation after starting 31 games and averaging 12.6 points while shooting 42.3% from three in 2025-26.
There’s also the question of how Maryland’s newcomers continue to settle in after the first exhibition. House’s defensive play drew attention throughout the offseason, and it showed up right away against Georgia Tech. Mike McNair added a different kind of pop, hitting all three of his three-point tries as he and House were the only Terps to finish 100% from deep.
Beyond that, the opener was a quieter night for some of the other new faces. Buzz Williams said Boswell was held out after halftime after finishing with two points, two rebounds and one assist in eight minutes.
DJ Wagner posted six points, three steals and three rebounds, though he also had two turnovers in 26 minutes. Five-star freshman Baba Oladotun was one of two players to finish with four fouls, and he had six points, two turnovers and a 20% shooting night in 25 minutes.
In Other News...
Maryland Finally Got Tight End Production And It Still Wasn't Enough
Marylands tight end room gave the offense a lift in the first half of its homecoming game, which is the kind of development the Terrapins had been searching for as conference play kept grinding on. Preston Howard came up with a 25-yard catch, Damon Hall Jr. found the end zone for the first time in his career, and Dorian Fleming was again a steady presence in the passing game as Maryland tried to keep pace at home.
Fleming finished with two touchdown catches and extended his consecutive-catch streak to 16 games, a reminder that the position has become one of the more reliable parts of the offense. Even with that boost, Maryland still came up short in a 37-30 loss, a defeat that stretched its conference losing streak to 12 games and left the team looking for answers despite finally getting the production it wanted from tight end. [Read more 🡒]
Marylands New-Look Offense Just Raised A Bigger Question
Marylands exhibition win over West Virginia offered an early glimpse of how much this new-look offense can change the feel of a game. Pharrel Payne and Andre Mills drove the scoring with big nights, and the Terps got something else out of the matchup too: a chance to work through a variety of game situations before the results start counting for real. Even in a game that required a comeback, the tempo and shot creation suggested this group has more options than last seasons version.
The bigger question, though, is how cleanly Maryland can sustain that style once the competition tightens and the turnovers start to matter even more. The Terps have already shown some early issues in that area, and an exhibition that tested their composure from start to finish should give the staff plenty to sort through. For a team trying to build around new pieces, the talent is obvious. The challenge now is turning those flashes into something steadier. [Read more 🡒]