The Terrapins basketball team pulled out a 95-77 victory over VMI Sunday evening at Xfinity Center behind a balanced scoring attack that featured four players with at least 19 points: guards Melo Trimble, Dion Wiley and Richaud Pack and forward Jake Layman.

The Terps have now overcome injuries to two of their starters, Dez Wells and Evan Smotrycz, to open the season 7-0 with one excellent non-conference win under their belts — Tuesday’s triumph over No. 13 Iowa State. Monday’s rankings could bring a pleasant surprise for fans, as coach Mark Turgeon’s squad prepares for No. 8 Virginia on Wednesday.

Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s win over the Keydets:

– Pack had three-game stretch to forget between the College Basketball Experience Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City on Monday and Tuesday and Friday’s matchup with Monmouth. He went 0 of 13 shooting in the three wins and was left out of the starting lineup for the first time all season in the Terps’ 72-63 win over the Cyclones. But he responded against VMI with a season-high 22 points by attacking the rim and not settling for jump shots.

– Smotrycz, playing in his second game since returning from a broken foot, “tweaked” his injury in Sunday’s victory. Turgeon said the senior’s status is uncertain moving forward, and he will be reevaluated Monday. In eight minutes, though, Smotrycz showed promising signs. He didn’t score any points and missed his only 3-point attempt but dished out three assists, including this dime to Pack.

– It seems with each passing game, 7-footer Michal Cekovsky improves. Sunday was no different, as the Slovakian big man played his best game of the season and scored a career-high 10 points to go along with six rebounds. He threw down a few massive two-handed dunks, which showed some flash and his growing understanding of floor spacing in the college game.

But the most important thing I saw from Cheko on Sunday was his enhanced physicality on the boards and comfort on defense. In one sequence, the freshman forward outleapt multiple Keydets defenders to haul in an impressive offensive rebound before rising and draining a right-handed jump hook.

Then on the other end, Cekovsky swatted away a shot for one of his three blocks — the type of rejection he may not have been in position to make earlier in the season.

– The Terps struggled defensively in the first half, as VMI put up 45 points, sank eight three-pointers and entered halftime trailing by just four points. The Keydets’ uniquely fast pace certainly played a part, as Turgeon’s squad tried to adjust to playing transition defense virtually every time down the floor. But the Terps turned things around on the defensive end in the second half, holding VMI to 33.3 percent shooting from the field, including 20 percent from three, and 32 points.

Turgeon said he made a minor adjustment to his team’s ball-screen defense at halftime, but he and his players agreed the biggest different was a change in mentality — committing to locking down, getting in passing lanes and hustling back in transition. In the future, it’s important for this team to have that kind of mindset from the opening whistle.

– In the absence of Wells, who will miss four weeks with a broken wrist, Wiley got his first start of the season. The freshman was shaky in 10 first-half minutes, hitting just 1 of 4 shots while turning the ball over twice. But he came out halftime with a more aggressive approach and scored 17 points, using his long frame to attack the basket and finish off some nifty layups at the rim.

– Trimble continued his string of efficient outings and put up 19 points on six shots. He went 5 of 6 from the free throw line, hit both of his threes and added four assists, the best of which was this pass in transition to Pack.

When asked about Melo in his postgame news conference, Turgeon was rather candid.

“The kid’s good,” he said. “I don’t know what else to tell you guys.”  

He’s going to need to keep getting better — if that’s possible — as the injuries start to mount.