Your cheat sheet to D.C.-area college basketball
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Andre Mills, right, welcomes Arkansas transfer DJ Wagner to the Terps' backcourt. Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
In this Etch A Sketch era of college basketball, a season ends, the sport gets shaken up and we're left with a blank canvas.
- Increasingly rare is the team that gets to keep building on last year's picture.
Why it matters: Even if you followed the sport closely last season, you might need a refresher before tuning in this year.
- The first action involving a local team comes Monday, when the Maryland women face No. 1 South Carolina in Paris.
Here's your cheat sheet to five area teams — and the players to watch.
- (Sorry, Charlottesville, we had to draw the geographic boundary somewhere.)
Maryland men
The rundown: The upside of college basketball's annual shake-up? Even miserable teams can reinvent themselves overnight.
- The Terps are counting on that after their worst season since 1988-89.
- Second-year coach Buzz Williams brought in 11 new players, assembling a roster better suited to his rugged, physical style.
Players to watch: The buzziest newcomer is Baba Oladotun, a 17-year-old, top-10 recruit from Silver Spring. But he'll need time to develop.
- For immediate production, look to sophomore guard Andre Mills and fifth-year forward Pharrell Payne.
Maryland women
The rundown: Head coach Brenda Frese's Terps are reliably good. But it's been more than a decade since they reached the Final Four.
- Ranked No. 20 in the AP preseason poll, Maryland looks solid again. But is it a capital-C Contender?
- We'll find out quickly. The Terps open against South Carolina and face No. 2 UConn in early December before diving into a brutal Big Ten schedule.
- "We want to play anyone and everyone," said Frese, now in her 25th season.
Player to watch: Senior guard Oluchi Okananwa returns after leading the Terps in scoring last season.
- You might remember her from a viral NCAA tournament moment when Frese urged: "I believe in you, but you've got to want this moment!"
Georgetown men
The rundown: The Hoyas haven't won an NCAA tournament game in more than a decade, and a breakthrough seems far off.
- Big East media picked Georgetown to finish 10th in the 11-team conference.
- Fourth-year coach Ed Cooley is running out of time to show he can restore the once-proud program.
- Last season brought trouble on the court — and just off it. After a home loss, Cooley threw a water bottle that inadvertently struck a child.
Player to watch: The Hoyas will lean heavily on newcomers, including Jaland Lowe, a senior point guard who played at Kentucky and impressed in Georgetown's two preseason wins.
Howard men and women
The rundown: While college basketball keeps reinventing itself, Howard has found stability.
- Both Bison teams are preseason favorites to win the MEAC, with the men chasing their fourth conference title in five years.
- Men's coach Kenneth Blakeney is entering his eighth season, while women's coach Ty Grace is in her 12th.
Players to watch: Guard Cedric Taylor III is Howard's leading returning scorer and the reigning MEAC men's defensive player of the year.
- Graduate guard Zoe Stewart is ESPN's pick for preseason MEAC women's player of the year.