# 2018–19 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland, College Park in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by eighth-year head coach Mark Turgeon and played their home games at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland, as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 23–11, 13–7 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place. They lost in the second round of the Big Ten tournament to Nebraska. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the East region. There they defeated Belmont before losing to LSU in the Second Round.

## Previous season

The Terrapins finished the 2017–18 season 19–13, 8–10 in Big Ten play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the second round of the Big Ten tournament to Wisconsin. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational, but declined, marking their absence in a postseason tournament for the first time since 2014.

## Offseason
### Departures

On April 6, 2018, freshman forward Bruno Fernando announced he would test the NBA draft, but not sign with an agent. On May 28, he announced he would return to school. Sophomore guard Kevin Huerter declared for the NBA draft on April 20, 2018, but also announced he would not sign with an agent. On May 30, he announced he would stay in the draft and hire an agent thereby ending his college career.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Sean Obi | 0 | F | 6'9" | 250 | RS Senior | Kaduna, Nigeria | Graduated |
| Kevin Huerter | 4 | G | 6'7" | 190 | Sophomore | Clifton Park, NY | Declared for the 2018 NBA draft; selected 19th overall by the Atlanta Hawks |
| Dion Wiley | 5 | G | 6'4" | 210 | RS Junior | Oxon Hill, MD | Transferred to Saint Louis |
| Jared Nickens | 11 | G/F | 6'7" | 205 | Senior | Monmouth Junction, NJ | Graduated |
| Michal Čekovský | 15 | F | 7'1" | 250 | Senior | Košice, Slovakia | Graduated |
| Justin Jackson | 21 | F | 6'7" | 225 | Sophomore | Toronto, ON | Declared for the 2018 NBA draft; selected 43rd overall by the Denver Nuggets |
| Alex Tostado | 25 | G | 6'2" | 178 | Freshman | Guadalajara, Mexico | Left team |

### Recruiting class
#### 2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jalen Smith PF | Baltimore, MD | Mount Saint Joseph High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jun 26, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Aaron Wiggins SF | High Point, NC | Wesleyan Christian Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 3, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Eric Ayala PG | Wilmington, DE | IMG Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 14, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Serrel Smith Jr. SG | St. Petersburg, FL | St. Petersburg High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Apr 11, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Ricky Lindo Jr. SF | Washington, DC | Woodrow Wilson High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Aug 15, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Trace Ramsey SF | Crown Point, IN | Don Bosco Prep Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Apr 26, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Maryland Commits". Rivals.com. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Roster
### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
| C | Bruno Fernando | Joshua Tomaic | Ivan Bender |
| PF | Jalen Smith | Ricky Lindo | |
| SF | Darryl Morsell | Serrel Smith Jr. | |
| SG | Anthony Cowan Jr. | Aaron Wiggins | |
| PG | Eric Ayala | Reese Mona | |

## Schedule and results

The season will mark the first time in Big Ten history that the teams will play a 20-game conference schedule, setting a precedent for all Division I basketball. The new schedule will also include a regional component to increase the frequency of games among teams in similar areas. Over the course of a six-year cycle (12 playing opportunities), in-state rivals will play each other 12 times, regional opponents will play 10 times, and all other teams will play nine times. Three in-state series will be guaranteed home-and-homes: Illinois and Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue, and Michigan and Michigan State will always play twice. The conference opponent list was released on April 19, 2018.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2018* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Lynn | W 100–67 | – | 22 – J. Smith | 11 – Fernando | 6 – Cowan | Xfinity Center (N/A) College Park, MD |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 7:30 pm, BTN Plus | | Delaware | W 73–67 | 1–0 | 19 – J. Smith | 13 – J. Smith | 5 – Ayala | Xfinity Center (12,703) College Park, MD |
| November 9, 2018* 8:30 pm, CBSSN | | at Navy Veterans Classic | W 78–57 | 2–0 | 24 – Cowan Jr. | 10 – Fernando | 6 – Cowan Jr. | Alumni Hall (5,710) Annapolis, MD |
| November 12, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | North Carolina A&T | W 82–59 | 3–0 | 17 – Fernando | 12 – Fernando | 5 – Ayala | Xfinity Center (10,958) College Park, MD |
| November 16, 2018* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Hofstra | W 80–69 | 4–0 | 17 – Fernando | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Xfinity Center (12,346) College Park, MD |
| November 18, 2018* 4:00 pm, BTN | | Mount Saint Mary's | W 92–77 | 5–0 | 21 – Fernando | 10 – J. Smith | 6 – Tied | Xfinity Center (11,782) College Park, MD |
| November 23, 2018* 6:00 pm, BTN | | Marshall | W 104–67 | 6–0 | 26 – Cowan Jr. | 16 – Fernando | 6 – Cowan Jr. | Xfinity Center (11,711) College Park, MD |
| November 28, 2018* 7:30 pm, ESPN | No. 24 | No. 4 Virginia ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 71–76 | 6–1 | 15 – Cowan Jr. | 11 – Fernando | 4 – Cowan Jr. | Xfinity Center (17,950) College Park, MD |
| December 1, 2018 5:00 pm, BTN | No. 24 | Penn State | W 66–59 | 7–1 (1–0) | 16 – J. Smith | 13 – Fernando | 4 – Cowan Jr. | Xfinity Center (15,481) College Park, MD |
| December 6, 2018 7:00 pm, BTN | No. 23 | at Purdue | L 60–62 | 7–2 (1–1) | 18 – Cowan Jr. | 13 – Fernando | 6 – Cowan Jr. | Mackey Arena (14,242) West Lafayette, IN |
| December 8, 2018* 4:00 pm, BTN | No. 23 | vs. Loyola–Chicago Baltimore Showcase | W 55–41 | 8–2 (1–1) | 17 – Cowan Jr. | 6 – Wiggins | 4 – Cowan Jr. | Royal Farms Arena (3,640) Baltimore, MD |
| December 11, 2018* 7:00 pm, BTN | | Loyola (MD) | W 94–71 | 9–2 (1–1) | 23 – Cowan Jr. | 8 – J. Smith | 7 – Ayala | Xfinity Center (11,595) College Park, MD |
| December 22, 2018* 5:30 pm, FS1 | | Seton Hall | L 74–78 | 9–3 | 19 – Fernando | 10 – Fernando | 5 – Ayala | Xfinity Center (12,555) College Park, MD |
| December 29, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | Radford | W 78–64 | 10–3 | 19 – Fernando | 12 – Fernando | 5 – Cowan Jr. | Xfinity Center (13,608) College Park, MD |
| January 2, 2019 6:30 pm, BTN | | No. 24 Nebraska | W 74–72 | 11–3 (2–1) | 19 – Cowan Jr. | 17 – Fernando | 4 – Cowan Jr. | Xfinity Center (11,251) College Park, MD |
| January 5, 2019 2:00 pm, BTN | | at Rutgers | W 77–63 | 12–3 (3–1) | 16 – J. Smith | 9 – Fernando | 5 – Fernando | Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 8, 2019 7:00 pm, BTN | | at Minnesota | W 82–67 | 13–3 (4–1) | 27 – Cowan Jr. | 11 – Fernando | 5 – Cowan Jr. | Williams Arena (9,919) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 11, 2019 7:00 pm, FS1 | | No. 22 Indiana | W 78–75 | 14–3 (5–1) | 25 – Fernando | 13 – Fernando | 7 – Cowan Jr. | Xfinity Center (15,017) College Park, MD |
| January 14, 2019 8:30 pm, FS1 | No. 19 | Wisconsin | W 64–60 | 15–3 (6–1) | 21 – Cowan Jr. | 7 – J. Smith | 3 – Cowan Jr. | Xfinity Center (12,894) College Park, MD |
| January 18, 2019 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 19 | at Ohio State | W 75–61 | 16–3 (7–1) | 20 – Cowan Jr. | 14 – Fernando | 6 – Cowan Jr. | Value City Arena (14,716) Columbus, OH |
| January 21, 2019 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 13 | at No. 6 Michigan State | L 55–69 | 16–4 (7–2) | 15 – Wiggins | 13 – Fernando | 5 – Cowan Jr. | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| January 26, 2019 12:00 pm, BTN | No. 13 | vs. Illinois B1G Super Saturday | L 67–78 | 16–5 (7–3) | 19 – Fernando | 10 – Fernando | 5 – Cowan Jr. | Madison Square Garden (7,239) New York, NY |
| January 29, 2019 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 21 | Northwestern | W 70–52 | 17–5 (8–3) | 22 – Fernando | 11 – Fernando | 4 – Tied | Xfinity Center (15,310) College Park, MD |
| February 1, 2019 9:00 pm, FS1 | No. 21 | at No. 24 Wisconsin | L 61–69 | 17–6 (8–4) | 18 – Ayala | 10 – Fernando | 3 – Cowan Jr. | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| February 6, 2019 7:00 pm, BTN | No. 24 | at Nebraska | W 60–45 | 18–6 (9–4) | 18 – J. Smith | 19 – Fernando | 4 – Cowan Jr. | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,552) Lincoln, NE |
| February 12, 2019 6:30 pm, BTN | No. 24 | No. 12 Purdue | W 70–56 | 19–6 (10–4) | 16 – J. Smith | 12 – Fernando | 6 – Cowan Jr. | Xfinity Center (14,813) College Park, MD |
| February 16, 2019 12:00 pm, FOX | No. 24 | at No. 6 Michigan | L 52–65 | 19–7 (10–5) | 15 – Wiggins | 8 – Fernando | 3 – Wiggins | Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI |
| February 19, 2019 8:00 pm, BTN | No. 24 | at No. 21 Iowa | W 66–65 | 20–7 (11–5) | 17 – Cowan Jr. | 11 – Fernando | 8 – Cowan Jr. | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (11,986) Iowa City, IA |
| February 23, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 24 | Ohio State | W 72–62 | 21–7 (12–5) | 19 – Cowan Jr. | 10 – Fernando | 4 – Tied | Xfinity Center (17,569) College Park, MD |
| February 27, 2019 6:30 pm, BTN | No. 17 | at Penn State | L 61–78 | 21–8 (12–6) | 15 – Cowan | 8 – Fernando | 2 – Tied | Bryce Jordan Center (9,020) University Park, PA |
| March 3, 2019 3:45 pm, CBS | No. 17 | No. 9 Michigan | L 62–69 | 21–9 (12–7) | 12 – Fernando | 6 – Fernando | 4 – Morsell | Xfinity Center (17,950) College Park, MD |
| March 8, 2019 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 24 | Minnesota | W 69–60 | 22–9 (13–7) | 21 – Cowan Jr. | 11 – Smith | 5 – Cowan Jr. | Xfinity Center (16,662) College Park, MD |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2019 2:55 pm, BTN | (5) No. 21 | vs. (13) Nebraska Second Round | L 61–69 | 22–10 | 18 – Cowan | 8 – Fernando | 5 – Morsell | United Center (16,207) Chicago, IL |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2019* 3:10 pm, truTV | (6 E) | vs. (11 E) Belmont First Round | W 79–77 | 23–10 | 19 – J. Smith | 13 – Fernando | 6 – Cowan Jr. | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (12,429) Jacksonville, FL |
| March 23, 2019* 12:15 pm, CBS | (6 E) | vs. (3 E) No. 12 LSU Second Round | L 67–69 | 23–11 | 15 – Smith | 15 – Fernando | 6 – Cowan Jr. | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (14,250) Jacksonville, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Awards and honors

* Bruno Fernando
       First Team All-Big Ten (coaches/media)
       Big-Ten All-Defensive Team
* Anthony Cowan Jr.
       Preseason All-Big Ten team
       Second Team All-Big Ten (coaches/media)
* Jalen Smith
       Big Ten All-Freshman Team

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 23 | RV | RV | — | — | — | RV | 19 | 13 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 17 | 24 | 21 | |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 23 | 24 | RV | RV | — | — | 22 | 16 | 24 | RV | 25 | 25-T | 20 | 24 | 21 | 22 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings