#3 Terps Set for Season Opener Friday at XFINITY
11/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 3 Maryland men's basketball team kicks off the highly-anticipated 2015-16 campaign against Mount St. Mary's on Friday at 7 p.m. at XFINITY Center.
WATCH: Big Ten Network - Tom Werme (Play-By-Play), Dan Bonner (Analyst)
LISTEN: Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Chris Knoche (Play-By-Play), Walt Williams (Analyst)
SOCIAL: Follow @TerrapinHoops on Twitter for in-game updates
storylines
• Maryland won a school-record 26 games during the regular season a year ago while making its return to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 after a four-year hiatus.
• The Terps' No. 3 ranking in both the Associated Press and USA Today polls is the highest for a Terrapin team in the preaseason since 2001-02.
• Head coach Mark Turgeon was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2015. Turgeon led Maryland to 28 wins in 2015, an 11-game improvement from its 17 victories in the 2013-14 season, a mark that ranked second among schools in the Power Five conferences.
• Maryland was 14-4 a year ago in its inaugural season in the Big Ten Conference, including a perfect 9-0 mark at XFINITY Center.
• Assistant coach Cliff Warren was a two-year starter at Mount St. Mary's, where he finished his career ranked in the top five in assists and top 50 in scoring in the school record book. As a senior in 1989-90, he averaged 10.4 points and 5.0 assists per game. Warren started his career as an assistant at his alma mater under the legendary Jim Phelan.
• Maryland picked up double-figure scoring from five different players in a 91-55 exhibition win over Southern New Hampshire last Friday night in front of nearly 14,000 fans at XFINITY Center. In his College Park debut, Diamond Stone shined for the Terrapins, notching a team-high 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor. Robert Carter posted a double-double for the Terps with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Jake Layman added 15 points and six rebounds. Melo Trimble tacked on 14 points of his own and Damonte Dodd grabbed 11 rebounds as Maryland won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding SNHU, 50-22.
• Sophomore point guard Melo Trimble has been named the 2015-16 Preseason Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, the league announced. In addition, Trimble joined senior forward Jake Layman on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
Scouting Mount st. mary's
• Mount St. Mary's was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Northeast Conference, garnering six first-place votes among the league's coaches.
• Senior forward Gregory Graves (10.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and junior guard BK Ashe (11.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg) were named Preseason All-NEC picks. Both players snagged third team all-conference honors a year ago.
• The Mountaineers topped Randolph-Macon, 79-63, in exhibition play Saturday their last time out. Junior Robinson and Ashe combined for 43 points in the victory.
Five Terps Post Double-Figures in Exhibition Win
• No. 3 Maryland picked up double-figure scoring from five different players in a 91-55 exhibition win over Southern New Hampshire on Friday night in front of nearly 14,000 fans at XFINITY Center.
• In his College Park debut, Diamond Stone shined for the Terrapins, notching a team-high 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor.
• Robert Carter posted a double-double for the Terps with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Jake Layman added 15 points and six rebounds. Melo Trimble tacked on 14 points of his own and Damonte Dodd grabbed 11 rebounds as Maryland won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding SNHU, 50-22.
X-WIN-ITY Center
• Maryland finished its home slate with an 18-1 record in the friendly confines of the XFINITY Center a year ago. Its lone loss came to top-five ranked Virginia on Dec. 3 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It was Maryland's first perfect home record in conference play since the 2009-10 season.
• The Terps outscored opponents by an average of 11.6 points per game at home while posting 71.7 points per contest in College Park.
• Melo Trimble scored a team-high 16.5 points per game at home.
Gameday guide
• The University of Maryland announced gameday initiatives for the upcoming 2015-16 men's and women's basketball season at XFINITY Center. A link to that release can be found here. New initiatives include several promotional activities, tasty food options, alcohol sales and parking information.
• Click here for the complete Maryland men's basketball gameday A-Z Guide.
