Although Niagara got within four points of Maryland early in the second half of the Terps' 71-49 win over the Purple Eagles, Maryland led for all but 17 seconds in the opening minutes as the game at no point ever really felt in doubt.
It was the start of a new era, as first-year head coach Kevin Willard looked to put his own stamp on the program right from the get-go. Maryland pushed the tempo throughout the game and showed full-court pressure after a made basket from the start. Still, the Terps showed plenty of room for improvement as the season goes on.
"I thought our press was ok. I think the biggest thing is that we didn't play very good, but we were in control for most of the game. I never felt like we were going to lose the game," said Willard. "So for the first game, having that feeling, going back and watching the film and seeing how much better we can get. But I was happy most of the day with the tempo, I thought we were pretty good temp-wise. We can get better. There is a lot of guys, Ian [Martinez] hadn't played a ton last year, Jahari [Long] was a redshirt last year, JuJu [Reese] was technically a freshman this year, so a lot of guys who hadn't played, I thought did a good job."
Next Game:
Western Carolina (0-1) at Maryland (1-0)
When: Thursday, Nov. 10 | 7:00 pm ET
Where: Xfinity Center
How to Watch: B1G+
Despite having been a head coach for 15 years at two different programs, Willard was still nervous leading up to the season opener, especially given the history of Maryland.
"I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous," Willard said. "Everything was totally new, even though I've been here seven months, I hadn't had to do that yet. From going out the wrong tunnel; the security guard yelled at me, I was like, 'My bad. That's where I went out last time I was here, I went out that tunnel.' I'm always nervous, I think, before games, just because I understand how big every game is. But to be the head coach at the University of Maryland is an honor. I take great pride in it and I understand the great responsibility that I have. So to B.S. you and say I wasn't nervous would just be lying to you, so I was."
Those first-game nerves weren't just with Willard, either. The players, many of which saw their first-ever action in a Terps uniform against Niagara, also showed some early jitters and were glad to get that first win under their belts.
"I think the players are glad we got our first-game jitters out," said Willard. "I don't loosen up until April. But I think the players feel a lot better about having those first-game jitters, because there were a lot of first-game jitters."
One player who did not seem to have any first-game jitters at all against Niagara was senior forward Donta Scott, who was red-hot from beyond the arc almost from the onset, leading the Terps with a game-high 18 points.
Junior shooting guard Ian Martinez definitely seemed to show some of those first-game jitters, struggling to shoot the ball in the opener, going 0-for-4 from the field and scoring just two points. But it didn't seem to affect his defense, as he finished with three rebounds and a game-high five steals in just 16 minutes of action. It's that effort on the defensive end that has impressed Willard in the early going.
"I think he understands who he is," Willard said of Martinez. "Obviously I think he's going to develop into a very talented scorer, but I think right now he plays with tremendous energy, a lot of toughness and he knows he's an athletic kid. So it's very rare, sometimes it takes time for guys to understand their role, I think Ian knows right now he's our best defender. He's going to guard the best guy most nights and I think he takes a lot of pride in it."
One glaring issue with Maryland in the opener was defending the paint, where the Terps were outscored 34-26 and allowed Niagara to pull down 13 offensive rebounds. With the Terps' lack of depth on the interior, Willard expects the guards to help pick up the slack in the rebounding department.
"A lot of our rebounding issues, like Hakim [Hart] has to get in there and get more than two rebounds. Our guards have to do a better job getting in their and rebounding," said Willard. "And I think JuJu, again, as he gets comfortable being out there for that long, will be more aggressive and help us with our rebounding issues."
With a season-opening win under their belts, the Terps should hopefully be able to play more loose Thursday night when they tipoff at 7:00 pm ET versus Western Carolina from Xfinity Center in College Park.
