The upcoming 2026-27 men's College Basketball season begins next month and is a crucial one for Maryland Terrapins head coach Buzz Williams and his team in year two. Despite a historically underwhelming 2025-26 season in which the Terps finished 12-21 overall and 4-16 in Williams's first season manning the program, media optimism has improved this year.
Why has belief in the Terps improved? People may wonder.
The roster constructed in year two of the Williams era is much improved talent-wise and has three things that were severely lacking a season ago: depth, size and offensive firepower.
Incoming additions through a recruiting class ranked No. 3 nationally by 247Sports, led by five-star local forward Baba Oladotun. Through the transfer portal, the team added three combo guards who provide perimeter shooting, size, and defense. Down low, they added forwards who can provide size and rebounding for a team that averaged only 35.4 rebounds per contest (171st in the country).
But the one area where the Terps have benefited the most in the offseason is retaining key contributors who can lead the new additions. Big man Pharrel Payne and guard Andre Mills are two starters who chose to return to College Park and continue building on a new era of Maryland basketball.
Today, though, I want to focus on Mills. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard is set to be one of Williams's starting guards.
Mills had an impressive freshman campaign, averaging 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, shooting 40.9% from the field and 34.6% from distance.
Beginning around February of last season, Mills found his rhythm and role on the team. Starting the final 12 games, Mills showed his ability to be a three-way scoring threat, using his frame to impose himself physically and attack the paint, but also expanding that into the mid-range and from downtown when he shot with confidence.
What stood out to me is that, despite the inconsistencies in his role during that November-to-December timeframe, which is something Williams pointed out in one of his offseason pressers with the media. Mills made the most of his minutes, playing not only freely but with the energy and aggressiveness that prepared him for new moments.
Two nights ago, in the Terps final exhibition matchup against West Virginia, Mills continued that momentum, leading his team to a 90-81 overtime victory.
Mills finished the contest with a team-high 27 points on an efficient 9-of-15 from the field, knocking in 4-of-7 three-point attempts, along with eight rebounds, one block, and one assist.
What impressed me was the maturity of his game; every move and decision felt purposeful, with a clear sense of where he was trying to go.
The mix of spot-up shooting, contested pull-ups, coast-to-coast buckets, and tough acrobatic layups through contact. Even while turning around on the defensive end, in which he brought the intensity and energy a "Buzz Williams team" always has, which helped them come back from behind by 15.
Maryland has a history of guards who can play in Jahmir Young, Melo Trimble, Anthony Cowan Jr., Steve Francis, Steve Blake, Greivis Vasquez, Gene Shue, and more.
Mills will be a huge piece of the improved success of the Terps this season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/maryland as Andre Mills Looks To Take Another Leap In Year Two With Maryland Basketball .
