Maryland men’s basketball vs. No. 6 Virginia preview

Maryland men’s basketball’s new-look roster looked frighteningly familiar in its underwhelming Saturday night loss to Georgetown.

The Terps lacked inspiration off the bounce in the 86-74 defeat and struggled to innovate while swinging the rock.

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“We define shots by medals: gold medal, silver medal, bronze medal, no medal,” head coach Buzz Williams said. “We didn’t have near the gold attempts that you need to have in order to win on the road.”

Maryland’s rebounding was notably better than last season’s bout against the Hoyas, but it did little to affect the final result. While the Hoyas played a flawless game, the Terps’ next test against No. 6 Virginia won’t give them any breaks.

Maryland will face the Cavaliers at 8 p.m. on Friday. The matchup will take place in the Xfinity Center and will stream on Peacock.

No. 6 Virginia Cavaliers (4-0, 0-0 ACC)

2025-26 Record: 30-6, 15-3 ACC

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After ripping through ACC competition but falling short of expectations in the NCAA tournament last season, head coach Ryan Odom enters his second year at the helm with hefty expectations. Despite roster turnover, Virginia has managed to maintain national relevance after the departure of former head coach Tony Bennett.

The Cavaliers have come out to a blazing start in the 2026-27 season, beating each opponent by at least 19 points. Their marquee win thus far came in a 91-72 steamrolling of then-No. 12 Arkansas in a neutral-site game in Washington D.C.

Players to watch

Thijs De Ridder, sophomore forward, 6-foot-9, No. 28 — De Ridder was slated to be one of Virginia’s best players heading into this season, but his performance over the last four games has catapulted him to a different level. The forward has made 57.1% of his 3-point attempts while averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game.

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The Belgian native is crucial to the Cavaliers’ success on both ends of the floor: he leads the team with 33 rebounds and is second with 12 steals. De Ridder’s talent on the glass…

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Publish date : 2026-11-12 11:40:00

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