Splashes, Dunks & Dimes - Big Ten Men's Basketball Previews - Purdue and Maryland

By: Connor Cagley

October 31, 2022

Connor Cagley, Big Sports Radio Basketball Writer

October 31, 2022

It's time to take a spin around the Big Ten to take a quick look across the conference to set up the upcoming 2022-23 men's basketball season. I'll take a look at two teams on Mondays and Thursdays for the next few weeks as we get ready for college basketball games to tip off.

Purdue

Zach Edey courtesy Purdue Athletics.

Key Departures: Jaden Ivey, Trevion Williams, Sasha Stefanovic

Other Departures: Eric Hunter Jr., Isaiah Thompson

Key Additions: Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, David Jenkins

Other Additions: Will Berg, Brian Waddell, Camden Heide

Purdue looks to be a drastically different team than last year due to the loss of their entire back court as well as their amazing 6^th man, Trevion Williams. Without Williams, a lot will be asked of 7’4” center Zach Edey. Luckily, Purdue has the pieces to make up for Williams’ absence this season – specifically, 6’10” power forward Caleb Furst and red shirt freshman Trey Kaufman-Renn. While they don’t have the experience Williams had, these are both top 50 recruits that should excel on both ends of the court.

Jaden Ivey will be much tougher to replace. Freshman Braden Smith will likely get a starting role at the point guard position as a freshman. He won’t have Ivey’s explosiveness, but he is a player that limits his mistakes and plays with a level of toughness. Fletcher Loyer should be able to replace much of Sasha Stefanovic’s talents. He’s a 3-point specialist and a good – but not great – athlete on the wing.

The area where Purdue needs to see improvements over last year is in returnees on the wing. Last year, the trio of players – Ethan Morton, Brandon Newman, and Mason Gillis – were not relied on for much other than hitting open shots. This season they will be expected to create shots and will be counted on for strong defense as well. If this group is up to the task, Purdue could compete for the Big Ten title into February and March.

Ceiling: second in conference

Floor: seventh in conference

Maryland

Donta Scott and Jahmir Young courtesy Maryland Athletics.

Key Departures: Fatts Russell, Eric Ayala, Qudus Wahab

Other Departures: Xavier Green, James Graham, Marcus Dockery, Aidan McCool, Simon Wright

Key Additions: Jahmir Young, Donald Carey, Patrick Emilien

Other Additions: Noah Batchelor, Jahari Long, Caelum Swanton-Rodger

Maryland will be an intriguing team to watch under first year coach Kevin Willard. Having to replace their top two scorers – Fatts Russell and Eric Ayala – will be no easy task. They will also be replacing Qudus Wahab. While Wahab didn’t play as good for Maryland as he did for Georgetown prior, he was still a 6’11” body that provided solid defensive play and was a force on the glass.

Maryland doesn’t have any immediate replacements for Wahab’s size, so they will try to make up for his presence by committee. Donta Scott and Julian Reese will most likely be the starters in the front court for the Terrapins. Scott is a versatile power forward who uses his jumper to beat slower, more rigid big men on the perimeter. He’s also formidable at backing down smaller men and punishing them near the basket. Reese is a rim-running 6’9” big man who has shown the ability to shoot 30% from the three. He showed immense potential in the limited minutes he got last season.

Transfer Jahmir Young averaged almost 20 points per game at Charlotte as a junior. He will be Maryland’s primary ball-handler and likely leading scorer. Senior Hakim Hart, Mount St. Mary’s transfer Donald Carey, and sophomore Ike Cornish round out their wing rotation.

Maryland should see some improvement over last year’s performance in the conference. And while this isn’t the most talented roster in the Big Ten, it’s a big step up from the teams at the bottom.

Ceiling: seventh in conference

Floor: twelfth in conference