Shell Games Preview + Maryland men's basketball opens year two under Buzz Williams
After two public and one closed scrimmage, Maryland men's basketball is set to kick off the 2026-27 regular season on Monday night with a home game against Bucknell.
Maryland will look to pick up their 13th consecutive season opening win, while moving to 78-30 all-time. Head coach Buzz Williams enters Monday night 16-3 in season openers, while Maryland looks to move to 10-0 all-time against Bucknell in Williams' first meeting against the Bison.
It marks a chance for the complete roster to begin meshing together in a game that now counts on the record, though whether Maryland enters opening night at full strength is a question. After being limited in the first exhibition game, Bishop Boswell was inactive for the final two scrimmages. Yet Maryland will have an opportunity to watch its frontcourt mesh together with Pharrel Payne and Tomislav Buljan expected to start at the five and four.
Maryland opens as a 31.5-point favorite against Bucknell, who will open year four under head coach John Griffin. The Bison were picked to finish sixth in the Patriots League preseason poll and are led by D2 transfer Rocco Lamuno, who averaged 18.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 2025-26.
What should Maryland expect in game one? Matt Modderno and Joseph Hartzell break down the start of year two.
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