Terps a Sweet 16 team in 2020-2021

The national media might not view Maryland basketball as a tournament team next season, at least as the roster is currently comprised, but Jimmy Patsos disagrees.

The NBC Washington basketball analyst and former Gary Williams assistant sees the Terps thriving, he said during an interview on College Hoops Watch’s March to Madness podcast.

“They’ve got some good pieces. But [Aaron] Wiggins, [Darryl] Morsell and [Eric] Ayala might be as as good a three guys that are, like, real college players with experience coming back. And you can win games in college with really good college players, because the one-and-done guys aren’t really ready, and guys are switching schools. These guys are staying at the same school, they know the system. I’m really interested to watch. I’ve got them in the Sweet 16 next year,” he said.

“Ayala can step up. Donta Scott played some minutes last year. Hart played some minutes. But Morsell is a great college player. Aaron Wiggins has potential to be a real nice pro because of his length and shooting ability. And Ayala reminds me of Dennis Johnson, you remember him, the old guy from the Celtics A bigger guard finds ways to win makes shots.”

In those four players, Mark Turgeon will return more than 105 minutes and 33 points per game. It’s a solid core, but one that needs reinforcements, as evidenced by Turgeon’s spring recruiting efforts. The Terps, as Patsos acknowledged, took a couple of big losses in Anthony Cowan and Jalen Smith, their star tandem that was robbed of a chance for a postseason run when the NCAA canceled its postseason.

“This was probably their best chance because Anthony was really good. He’s one of those really good college players sort of like Randolph Childress. You don’t know how it’s gonna translate in the pros but on any given night he can make big shots and control the ball. But I don’t know if anybody in the country improved more than Jalen Smith did last year. You know, he had a good freshman year, very inconsistent, played well in the tournament, gains weight,” he said.

“Baltimore kid, really nice kid, comes from a really good high school [in] Mt. St. Joe. Pat Clatchey has produced a lot of players. But he really flourished under Turge’s system last year. I thought defensively there was like five games they could’ve lost. Illinois at home, Minnesota on the road, Northwestern on the road. Indiana on the road. He just wouldn’t let them lose … Michigan State on the road.”

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The mock drafts have Smith, who ranked first in the Big Ten and third nationally with 21 double-doubles, going late in the first round of the NBA Draft, but Patsos disagrees.

“He was outstanding He’s a good an on-the-ball shot blocker and a great help [side] shotblocker. He makes open threes. But Ill tell you this, I don’t think anyone improved from last April to this year more…