Welcome to The Diamondback Sports Digest. Every week, we send you a rundown of the latest Maryland athletics news.
In this week’s newsletter, we’ll talk about Maryland football’s loss to Oregon, men’s basketball’s undefeated first week and women’s basketball’s marquee win.
Maryland football can’t hang with top dog
Maryland marched into Eugene, Oregon, looking to pull off a massive upset against the country’s No. 1 team. Instead, the Terps collapsed in the second half and fell to the Ducks, 39-18.
Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw two interceptions for the second consecutive game, both in the fourth quarter on back-to-back drives. Maryland put together multiple long drives and moved the ball downfield, but failed to capitalize.
“When you watch us play, these guys play hard,” coach Michael Locksley said. “We’re practicing the right way, we’re just not playing to our potential. We’re not playing smart and it’s so frustrating when you watch it.”
Maryland men’s basketball’s successful opening week
The Terps pummeled Manhattan in their season-opener on Monday before downing Mount St. Mary’s on Friday.
Maryland won both games by 30 or more points, including an 86-52 win over Mount St. Mary’s — a good sign for the Terps after beating the Mountaineers by just 15 points in its season-opener last year.
Both games brought excellent individual performances — from freshman Derik Queen on Monday and Virginia Tech transfer Rodney Rice on Friday. Queen dominated inside with 22 points and 20 rebounds, while Rice showed off his shooting with a career-high 28 points off the bench.
Maryland women’s basketball downs Duke
Coach Brenda Frese’s squad is off to a 3-0 start after reloading its roster with high-level transfers during the offseason. Its most impressive win of the first week was a five-point victory over No. 11 Duke at Xfinity Center on Sunday.
It was the two schools’ first matchup since 2015, reigniting a historic ACC rivalry. The Terps’ offense appears to be much more dynamic than it was a season ago — four players scored in double-digits against the Blue Devils, led by a 23-point outing from Rutgers transfer Kaylene Smikle.
Maryland survived its first test and will have another one on Wednesday when it travels to face Syracuse.
- Best Bits
Read about how Maryland football’s operations team prepared for the Terps’ trek to Oregon. - Rodney Rice went exactly 600 days without playing in a college basketball game. He returned to the court in his Maryland debut last Monday.
- Maryland men’s soccer allowed its most goals since 1993 in a 6-0 loss to UCLA in the Big Ten tourney quarterfinals.
- After winning in penalty strokes against Iowa, Maryland field hockey lost in a penalty shootout against Michigan, 4-3, in the Big Ten tourney semifinals.
- Maryland is one of 31 offers for Immanuel Iheanacho, the No. 3 prospect in the 2026 recruiting class.
Stat of the week
Queen became the first Division I player since Michael Beasley in 2007 to notch more than 20 points and 20 rebounds in their collegiate debut. Queen recorded 22 and 20, respectively, against Manhattan on Monday.
Quote of the week:
“I was playing like La-Marvelous Jackson,” Queen said after the Terps’ win over Manhattan, referring to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
