Maryland faces quick early-season test at Asheville tournament

COLLEGE PARK — Kevin Willard has never been to Asheville, North Carolina, but he hopes his stay there this weekend is a successful one, even if the timing of the visit isn’t ideal.

Maryland heads deep into the Appalachian Mountains for the early-season Asheville Championship — with emphasis on the word early. The Terrapins coach has expressed how the four-team tournament over Veterans Day weekend comes so soon, making it harder to schedule opponents over Thanksgiving week when most other tournaments occur.

“There’s an art to scheduling,” Willard said. “I think you’ve really got to balance out who your team is year in, year out, even though now it’s always a little bit differently.”

Still, the trip will give Maryland (1-0) an early check into what it’s made of, and, with a few wins, potentially vault the Terrapins into the AP Top 25. 

“I think jumping in right away with so many new guys is tough,” Willard said. “But it will give us a good barometer of where we are.”

Terrapins forward Julian Reese said “it’s definitely different” to hit the road so early.

“My freshman and sophomore year, we didn’t really do that,” Reese said. “I feel like it will prepare us well for the road games, just because last year, we weren’t very successful on the road. And I feel like it’s going to prepare us well and test us very early.”

First up Friday is Davidson, a .500 team from a season ago and one of two schools from the Carolinas represented in the draw. The championship or a third-place game will be held Sunday against either Clemson or Alabama-Birmingham.

“Davidson is excellent,” Willard said. “They shoot the basketball, they rebound the basketball at a high level. They are a lot longer and more athletic than they were last year. So it’s a good test for us early.”

After a season-opening win Tuesday against Mount St. Mary’s, look for Willard to try to better hone in his substitutions and rotations. Ten different Terrapins came off the bench in the first 8 minutes against the Mountaineers, something he acknowledged was a little haphazard.

“I have a good feeling what the rotation is, I just don’t think the players have a good feel,” Willard said. “And they haven’t played with each other and in pressure situations just because of injuries. So I have a good feeling what the rotations are, it’s just getting the players comfortable, getting the guys on the floor comfortable with each other because they haven’t played that much together.”

It’s a quick turnaround for the Terrapins. Willard suggested he might have preferred having the season opener on the road at Mount St. Mary’s on Monday, instead of at home on Tuesday. Many programs began play on Monday, including Maryland’s women’s team at Xfinity Center.

“If I had gone back, I probably would have played at Mount St. Mary’s on Monday night just to give us the right preparation time,” Willard said. “We’re playing a really good team on one day’s preparation, and you’re going to play another really good team on one day’s preparation. So for this time of year, that’s not ideal.”

Reese, though, said there may be a silver lining in having a “reality check” just a few days into the campaign.

“Especially with such a new team and such new freshmen,” Reese said. “And kind of still a new coaching staff — this is only the second year with coach Willard and new assistants, as well. I feel like it’s good to get everything out a bit early.”

Maryland has won 33 previous regular-season tournaments, including last season’s Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off over St. Louis and Miami.