Maryland men's basketball set for last tune-up vs. UMBC ahead of 2025-26 season

Ahmed Ghafir
Oct 27, 2025
2 min read

UMBC vs. Maryland

When: Monday, Oct. 27 | 7:00 PM

Where: XFINITY CENTER

Stream: B1G+

Radio: One Maryland App | WJZ-FM 105.7 FM (Baltimore) | The TEAM 980 AM (DC)

With 15 new pieces and head coach Buzz Williams looking to instill his culture now in College Park, Texas A&M transfer Andre Mills is ready to make his Maryland – and college – debut. But while Maryland men’s basketball will have to wait another week to officially kick off the season vs. Coppin State, Monday’s exhibition vs. UMBC gives the new-look Terps a chance to showcase “our intensity.”

“I think our intensity and our will to win and play hard needs to and will come to life,” Mills said on media day last week. “I think that would be our best separator and our separation to growing as a group as a program, for sure. I'm really excited to play.”

How many Terps ultimately suit up tonight is the biggest question. Solomon Washington is expected to be inactive as he battles back from an ankle sprain, while Diggy Coit and Isaiah Watts could make their official debut next week after nursing minor injuries ahead of the start of the regular season. Maryland has already announced that Kansas transfer Rakease Passmore will miss the entire season due to a torn Achillies, but one player who will be available is former five-star Darius Adams with the McDonalds All-American set to make his debut.

“You have to be way more physical than high school,” Adams said of his adjustment to Maryland. I feel like high school you can take a couple [of] plays off, but you can't really in college, and I think it's just a more mature game in college but I think it's for the better.”

Of course while Indiana guard Myles Rice will look to take over as the lead guard, star transfer center Pharrel Payne is set to make his Maryland debut as the former Texas A&M center is expected to become a focal point of the Terps’ identity in 2025-26 after posting consecutive 20-point outings in the Aggies’ NCAA Tournament run last season.

Payne admitted this Maryland team “should look a little different” from last year’s Texas A&M team – “it’s not going to be the same guys, but it’ll look similar.” One aspect that is consistent is the focus on the boards.

“That's definitely something we harp on every single day. So we're going to go get those rebounds.”

The biggest question is how Maryland can find scoring outside of the paint with Darius Adams expected to be part of the answer.

“It's going to be an exciting offense. I think we're going to play fast, but I think that it's been - it's hard to tell you right now. But we have, we're good chemistry. We have good chemistry. I would just say wait and see. It’s hard to explain, but you'll see in a good way.”

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