Maryland men’s basketball’s backcourt is filled with impact players

Pharrel Payne’s return to Maryland men’s basketball will draw the majority of fans’ attention this season — and rightfully so. But the Terps depth lies in the backcourt, with prominent players from the transfer portal and recruiting class pairing up with two returning guards.

Head coach Buzz Williams brought in five guards during the offseason to replace Maryland’s departing backcourt production. The new talent has already been showcased in two public exhibition games — the backcourt accounted for 31 of the Terps’ 45 first-half points against Georgia Tech.

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With half of Maryland’s roster listed as guards, Williams will have several options to choose from on a nightly basis. But that is a good problem for the second-year coach to have.

Scoring hinges on Andre Mills

In an otherwise disastrous 2025-26 campaign for Maryland, Andre Mills was a bright spot. Mills poured in 12.2 points per game last season, but the majority of that production came after Payne’s season-ending injury.

He had double-digit points in 11 of the final 13 games, averaging nearly 18 points per game during that stretch. Mills posted a career-high 39 points against Northwestern, shooting 12-for-17 from the field.

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But Buzz Williams cited his efficiency as an area of improvement at Big Ten Media Day.

“Some of the things that he did for us were incredibly good, but also somewhat inefficient,” Williams said. “But it was because we were asking him to do something that he really wasn’t quite prepared for.”

Mills has flashed that efficiency through the two exhibition games. He connected on three of his five first-half shots against Georgia Tech and shot 60% from the field during his 26-point performance to help fuel Maryland’s comeback.

While Mills is listed at 6-foot-4, his craftiness and explosiveness around the rim led to some highlight-worthy plays last season.

That athleticism has helped open up his outside shot; Mills shot 34% from deep last season and knocked down four 3-pointers in the…

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Publish date : 2026-10-28 10:45:00

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