The Terps host the Bison to open a three-game homestand.
Maryland men’s basketball returns to Xfinity Center Wednesday to take on Bucknell for the first matchup between the programs since 2017. It’s the first of three consecutive home games for Maryland.
The Terps are coming off a thrilling 76-75 win over Villanova at the Empire Classic in Newark, New Jersey. Bucknell represents an opportunity to keep the ball rolling and build additional confidence a week out from conference play.
Maryland and Bucknell have met eight times before, and the Terps won all eight games.
Wednesday’s contest will tip off at 4:30 p.m. and air on Big Ten Network.
Bucknell Bison (4-3, 0-0 Patriot League)
2023 record: 14-19, 10-8 Patriot League
Head coach John Griffin III took over the program before the 2023-24 season after a four-year stint as associate head coach at Saint Joseph’s. His squad has shown progress in his second year — last season, Bucknell was 4-7 in nonconference play, a mark it will top pending an awful end to that slate.
All four of Bucknell’s wins have come against low-level opponents. It fell to Mount St. Mary’s, a team the Terps blew out earlier this season, in double overtime. The Bison have only faced one high-major opponent — No. 8 Kentucky — and they lost, 100-72.
Players to know
Noah Williamson, junior center, 7-foot-0, No. 3 — Williamson is Bucknell’s focal point on both ends of the court. He’s lean and surprisingly quick for a seven-footer. Williamson leads the Bison with 16.9 points per game, and he’s shooting 50% from the field, but that average has been brought down by an abysmal 18.2% shooting from 3-point range on 22 attempts. He’s got the potential to be effective from deep, though, as he shot 32.9% from 3-point range in 2023-24.
Williamson leads the Patriot League with 2.1 blocks per game and leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game.
Josh Bascoe, senior guard, 6-foot-0, No. 13 — Boscoe is the Bison’ top backcourt scoring option and primary facilitator. He leads the team with 3.4 assists per game, but also takes a team-high 11.4 shots per game. Boscoe is shooting 45% from the field and 37.1% from 3-point range, and he averages 14.9 points per game.
Ian Motta, senior forward, 6-foot-6, No. 1 — Motta is Bucknell’s top option from long range, making 42.9% of his 3-point attempts. He does a little bit of everything for the Bison, playing multiple positions on the court and racking up 11.8 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Strength
Paint defense. The Bison lead the Patriot League in blocks per game (4.7) by a wide margin. That effort is made easier with Williamson’s height and length patrolling the paint. Junior forward Ruot Bijiek is also top five in the conference with 0.9 blocks per game of his own.
Weakness
Offensive efficiency. Bucknell loves to let it fly — with 59.1 shot attempts per game — but it hasn’t made the shots to capitalize on that figure. It’s shooting just 44.2% from the field, which is 221st in the country.
Three things to watch
1. Queen looks to build off Big Ten Freshman of the Week nod. Derik Queen has been incredible early in his collegiate career, and he earned his first hardware as a Terp — Big Ten Freshman of the Week — following a 22-point, 11-rebound performance against Villanova. He’ll look to build on that early success against a relatively talented Bucknell frontcourt.
2. Does Geronimo rest again? Jordan Geronimo has missed the Terps’ last two contests with an injury, but head coach Kevin Willard indicated he was close to playing in both. Bucknell isn’t a strong opponent and Geronimo won’t be needed to win the game. But Willard could look to get the forward back into the swing of things with Big Ten play just a week out.
3. What does Malachi Palmer’s usage look like? The freshman wasn’t part of the rotation against No. 10 Marquette, but saw eight meaningful minutes against Villanova, scoring three points. Palmer impressed against Canisius between those games, recording 10 points and six rebounds. Even with Geronimo potentially returning, look for Palmer to have an increasingly large role of Maryland’s bench.