Maryland Basketball Faces Bucknell in Season Opener Under New Look

Maryland men’s basketball opens its 2026-27 season against Bucknell on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Xfinity Center, broadcasting live on Big Ten Plus. Head coach Buzz Williams enters his second year facing mounting pressure following a disastrous campaign, introducing a heavily overhauled roster featuring 11 new additions.

The pressure on Maryland men’s basketball head coach Buzz Williams is immediate and heavy as his second year tips off. Following a disastrous campaign that left the Terps with their worst record since 1941, Monday night’s season opener against the Bucknell Bison serves as a critical first test for a drastically transformed program.

Fans walking into the Xfinity Center on Monday will see a completely different team on the floor. Maryland returns just four players from last season, anchored by leading scorers Pharrel Payne and Andre Mills. To fill the massive gaps, the coaching staff brought in the country’s No. 14-ranked recruiting class alongside a seven-man transfer portal group packed with immediate impact players.

Roster Turnover and the Xfinity Center Debut

Integrating 11 new offseason additions presents a unique challenge for any major program, let alone one looking to bounce back from a historic low. For players like Mike McNair Jr., the transition into this high-major environment brings a fresh dynamic.

New and improved Maryland men’s basketball hosts Bucknell to open an expected bounce-back season 👇https://t.co/HpQgMmllhe
— https://x.com/Terrapins247/status/2117013900520542467

“I spent three years at one university in Boston, and this is my first time being on a new team at college,” McNair Jr. said. “So just being with a new group of guys, a blue team, it’s definitely special.”

Maryland enters the matchup carrying momentum from two open exhibition victories against power conference opponents. The program will look for its 13th straight season-opening victory on Monday evening. While Bucknell brings its own set of vulnerabilities, the game offers Williams a valuable laboratory to test lineup combinations in a real-game environment.

Bucknell’s Rebuilding Effort and Key Personnel

On the opposing bench, Bucknell head coach John Griffin III attempts to steady a program searching for consistency. Griffin returned to his alma mater in 2023 after Bucknell’s fourth consecutive losing season. While his first year yielded a slight conference improvement, last season unraveled as the Bison finished with a 10-23 record.

An offense that struggled mightily a year ago—finishing with the 25th-fewest points per game nationally at 67.4—now faces severe roster attrition. Bucknell lost nine players and 73.3% of its offensive production from last season, leaning heavily on a new wave of talent that includes seven freshmen and four transfers.

Rocco Lamuno: A junior guard transferring in from Spring Hill College without prior Division I experience, Lamuno averaged 18.5 points in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference while shooting 46% from the field. He posted a team-high 16 points in Bucknell’s lone exhibition game.
Jayden Williams: The junior point guard returns as the Bison’s top experienced ball-handler, averaging 7.5 points and four assists per game last year while committing 58 turnovers across 33 starts.
Aleksander Pachucki: A versatile 6-foot-5 junior guard who led the team in 3-point shooting last season at 35.9%, while chipping in 5.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Health Status and Rotation Questions for the Terps

Maryland approaches Monday night nearly fully healthy, a stark contrast to the injury concerns that plagued them at points last season. Tennessee transfer Bishop Boswell, who played just eight minutes in the preseason and missed the West Virginia exhibition, remains the lone player who didn’t suit up against West Virginia as he figures to be a key contributor off the bench.

The core scoring load figures to rest initially on returning catalysts Mills and Payne, who combined for 53 points to spark a dramatic second-half comeback in the team’s final preseason action. Yet, finding consistent secondary scoring remains a priority. While newcomers McNair and Kaden House reached double figures in the preseason, starters DJ Wagner and Tomislav Buljan are still searching for their rhythm after combining for just seven points on 2-for-14 shooting against West Virginia.

Williams is known for frequent substitutions, but that tendency shifted toward a tighter seven-man rotation in the second half of Maryland’s final exhibition. Monday’s contest starts at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Plus, providing the opening chapter for a roster aiming to rewrite the narrative in College Park.