Maryland men's basketball opens Buzz Williams' second season by beating Bucknell 96-67
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The gist
Maryland men's basketball beat Bucknell 96-67 at home in its season opener, after a 12-21 season.
The Terps seek a bounce-back year behind healthy Pharrel Payne and Andre Mills.
Background
Maryland men's basketball is coached by Buzz Williams, who is entering his second year in College Park after the team finished 12-21 last season. The opener began the program's celebration of the 25th anniversary of its 2002 national championship, with 2002 throwback uniforms debuting. The Terps returned forward Pharrel Payne, a Preseason All-Big Ten pick who missed most of last season with an injury, alongside guard Andre Mills, described as the team's go-to perimeter player after averaging 12.2 points and 4.1 rebounds last season.
How it unfolded
- Oct 11, 2026Maryland played Georgia Tech in its first exhibition game at UMBC's Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena; Kaden House scored 14 and Adama Tambedou added 10 in the Georgia Tech victory.
- Oct 16, 2026Joe Smith was inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame, becoming the 46th men's basketball alum or coach enshrined.
- Oct 18, 2026Maryland beat West Virginia 90-81 in overtime in its second exhibition; Pharrel Payne had 26 points and 13 rebounds and Andre Mills had 27 points.
- Oct 30, 2026Pharrel Payne was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top-20 Preseason Watch List.
- Nov 2, 2026Maryland beat Bucknell 96-67 at XFINITY Center in the season opener, leading 44-30 at halftime; Bucknell's Aleksander Pachucki scored 23.
- Nov 3, 2026Maryland announced The Maryland Basketball Show with Buzz Williams debuts Nov. 4 in a new format, streaming at noon and airing at 6 p.m. on 105.7 FM and The TEAM 980 AM.
- Nov 7, 2026Maryland faces Georgetown at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Key terms
- All-Big Ten
- A major U.S. collegiate athletic conference, the oldest in NCAA Division I, originally named for its ten member universities.
- overtime
- An extra period played to break a tie when scores are equal after regulation time.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Bulls
- Forward Pharrel Payne said of the team, "The ceiling is through the roof."
- Coach
- Buzz Williams called freshman Kaden House an "outlier" and said he expects him to be a crucial bench piece.