Maryland men’s basketball is ready for Xfinity Center.
Two wins against smaller schools have prepared Maryland to face Georgetown, one of the tougher tests in the DMV.
The Xfinity Center is ready for Maryland
men’s basketball, too, with the Gold Rush promotional game on tap and a student-section sellout projected. None of the current Maryland squad, including head coach Buzz Williams, has played a regular season game in College Park — and fans have the chance to show them what makes the arena special.
Maryland’s home opener will tip off at 6 p.m. Friday and will be televised on FS1.
Georgetown Hoyas (1-0, 0-0 Big East)
2024 record: 18-16, 8-12 Big East
While head coach Ed Cooley sent ripples across the Big East when he left Providence for Georgetown ahead of the 2023-24 season, his team has yet to have the same impact. The Hoyas, a historically successful program mired in mediocrity over the past decade, posted a record above .500 last season for the first time since 2018-19.
A miraculous Big East Tournament championship in 2021 — it entered the tournament with nine wins on the season — got Georgetown to its most recent tournament appearance, a 23-point loss to Colorado in the first round.
This year, the Hoyas turned heads after winning an exhibition game against Kentucky, 84-70, at Rupp Arena. They then put away Morgan State, 87-70, at home in their season-opener Monday. Georgetown will need to sustain its momentum in nonconference play to earn another chance at breaking their 10-year NCAA Tournament winless streak.
Players to watch
KJ Lewis, junior guard, 6-foot-4, No. 5 — Lewis is a shoot-first guard that looks to do his work inside the arc. The 6-foot-4 junior led his team Monday with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including sinking all six attempted free throws, while adding five rebounds.
The Arizona transfer is an important defensive presence, too. A former Pac-12 All-Freshman honorable mention, Lewis registered tallies of 38 and 49 steals through his first two seasons — and he started his season right with three steals against Morgan State.
Malik Mack, junior guard, 6-foot-2, No. 2 — The backcourt partner of Lewis, Mack was the only returner for Georgetown that averaged over 10 points per game last season. The Oxon Hill, Maryland, native averaged 4.3 assists per game in 2024-25 and continues to be the key distributor from the point guard position.
Julius Halaifonua, sophomore center, 7-foot, No. 11 — Replacing Thomas Sorber, an all-Big Ten Freshman Team selection and NBA Draft first-rounder, at center was always going to be a difficult task. The Hoyas have opted for a three-way timeshare, with Halaifonua seeing time alongside Seal Diouf and St. John’s transfer Vince Iwochukwu.
Cooley named Halaifonua the starter in Georgetown’s exhibitions and season-opener, though. The New Zealand native had a three-point, eight-rebound appearance against Morgan State. Having dropped 30 pounds and missing all but six games of his freshman season with injury, Halaifonua is a high-upside player who the Hoyas will need to start producing more.
Strength
Defending. Georgetown is the sort of team that turns games into rock fights by forcing teams into difficult shots. The Hoyas held Kentucky — seventh in the nation in points per game last year — to 33% shooting from the field, including a 7-of-30 mark on free throws. The implementation of Cooley’s old-school style will make Georgetown a tough out.
Weakness
Three-point shooting. For the games to be a rock fight and not a rock massacre, however, rocks have to be coming from both sides. The Hoyas have struggled from beyond the arc this season despite their guard-heavy scoring production. In their game against Morgan State, Georgetown shot just 4-of-26 from deep — with no player making multiple three-pointers — leaving a lot to be desired.
Three things to know
1. DeShawn Harris-Smith’s return. A four-star recruit that came to the Terps under former head coach Kevin Willard, Harris-Smith never truly panned out for Maryland, averaging just 2.5 points and 2.4 assists across 15 minutes per game last season. Harris-Smith will be the first Willard-era player to return to College Park.
2. Will the three-point barrage continue? Maryland scored the deep ball at an impressive clip Monday. The Terps finished with 10 made three-pointers, tied for the most in a season opener in program history and two more than the Crab Five averaged per game last season — an unexpected development.
Williams doubts it will continue. After all, the 10 makes came from 29 attempts, several of which were out of rotation. According to the coach, his staff has begun teaching better shot selection. But if the Terps can maintain that ability, it would certainly raise their ceiling for the season.
3. Rivalry renewed. Maryland and Georgetown have played each other 65 times, with the Terps holding a 38-27 all-time advantage, but the teams have not met since 2016. This game is the first of a four-game series, but the pair aren’t just competing on the court — five-star 2026 center Baba Oladotun has both the Terps and Hoyas among his final four schools.
