This year's Maryland Terrapins team seems like a better team than the one that won the National Championship in 2002. That 2002 championship team had a few star players and won games against tough opponents all season. Through a returning superstar, a championship-caliber transfer and a top-tier recruit, this year's Terrapins have a legitimate shot at winning the title this college basketball season.
The team returns Melo Trimble for his sophomore season. Trimble was the leading scorer for the Terrapins as a freshman and fluctuated between All-Big Ten First and Second teams on the ballots of most voters. He was featured on Freshman All-American teams throughout the country and decided not to begin his NBA career, instead coming back to lead a stacked Terrapin team. He was the best Maryland freshman since Joe Smith, who was eventually taken first overall in the 1995 NBA Draft.
One big issue the team sured up was the man responsible for dishing the ball to Trimble, as former Duke Blue Devils point guard Rasheed Sulaimon transferred this past summer and is available to play immediately. He is probably the most important part of the Terrapin team, as the backcourt is very thin behind him, with new backup Jaylen Brantley not looking like a player to be counted on. Sulaimon didn't get a lot of playing time last year, but performed well in the prior two seasons, averaging 10 points per game both seasons. His assist numbers aren't that great, but in Duke's offense, no point guard gets very many assists, with some seasons seeing no players attain even 2.5 assists per game. Sulaimon is a very good point guard and will improve the players around him.
The final piece of the Terrapin puzzle is freshman big man Diamond Stone. Stone is the highest ranked prospect to attend Maryland since the inception of the ESPN 100. He averaged a double-double his senior year in high school and recorded 12 blocks in the State Semi-Final game. Stone provides a presence down low that is nearly impossible to beat, even considering Ben Simmons at LSU and Skal Labissiere at Kentucky. Stone is the one that really provides hope for Maryland fans, who are hoping to see him be the dominant big man he can be.
While they're not the favorite to win the title right now, they should be considered one of the top picks. The team might be able to run the Big 10 out of the building every night, and their talent is matched by few in the country.
