Buzz Williams hopes for improvement after going 12-21 in his first season at Maryland

Maryland (12-21, 4-16 Big Ten)

After a brutal first season at the helm that included five losses by at least 30 points, Buzz Williams tries to get things righted at Maryland. The Terrapins will hope this is similar to his tenure at Virginia Tech, when he debuted with an 11-22 record before four straight 20-win seasons.

Players to watch

Post player Pharrel Payne returns after missing most of last season due to injury. He averaged 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds and shot 62% from the field. … Guard Andre Mills averaged 12.2 points as a freshman a season ago and reached 30 points in a game twice. … Local standout Baba Oladotun was a top-10 overall recruit according to 247Sports.com, and if he can have the type of impact Derik Queen did a couple seasons ago, Maryland might improve significantly.

Departures and arrivals

The Terps have to replace Diggy Coit, last season’s leading scorer. … Maryland’s incoming class — including both freshmen and transfers — has been ranked in the top 20 by 247Sports.com. In addition to Oladotun, the Terps have added freshman guard Kaden House, who scored 10 points in an exhibition game against West Virginia. … Maryland added some experienced transfers in guards DJ Wagner (Arkansas) and Mike McNair (Boston University) as well as forward Robert Jennings II (Oklahoma State).

Top games

The Terps open at home against Bucknell on Nov. 2, then take on local rival Georgetown in Washington. It’s the second straight season the Terrapins and Hoyas meet — but still only the fifth time in 25 years. Maryland then hosts Virginia on Nov. 13, and a trip to Las Vegas later that month includes a matchup with Tennessee. Illinois, which is ranked No. 3 in the preseason, comes to town Jan. 16, and the Terps visit defending national champion Michigan on March 4. Maryland will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its 2002 national title Feb. 13 against Indiana — the team the Terps beat in that championship game.

Facts and figures

Wagner needs 52 points to reach 1,000. McNair needs 54. … Of Maryland’s 10 most lopsided losses since 2005, five of them occurred last season. … Williams has won at least 100 games at three Division I schools — Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. Only two coaches have done it at four places: Lefty Driesell (Davidson, Maryland, James Madison, Georgia State) and Steve Alford (Iowa, New Mexico, UCLA, Nevada.)

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