Men's basketball kicks off season against Seattle tonight

When Gary Williams suited up for the Terrapin men's basketball team more than 40 years ago, he and his teammates had nearly six weeks from the start of practice to the season opener.

This year, the Terps had half that. And as they open the regular season against Seattle tonight in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, Williams knows the makeup and direction of his team is far from determined.

"This is the fewest number of days I've ever had before the first regular-season game that counts, so it's not like some years when you have four weeks," Williams said. "It's going to take a while [to get a rotation set]."

Williams will have plenty of looks over the next week. Tonight's game is the first of three in the next seven days for the Terps and their six newcomers.

"I feel like everything is where it should be," guard Cliff Tucker said. "Of course, we don't have all our plays, but we have enough to come out and have a great game."

The matchup against the Redhawks will also be the first time Williams gets to see his team, which returns just two starters from last year's NCAA Tournament squad, in action against a Division I opponent. Defense should be a focus for the Terps, who were tied with Florida Southern more than six minutes into their exhibition last week.

"We started out too slowly in our exhibition, and we didn't play as good of defense as we could," Tucker said. "Coach said we were focusing too much on scoring, and at Maryland, it's never been a problem of scoring."

Williams noted Seattle employs an aggressive offense that will look to press and run. The Redhawks beat Oregon State by 51 points last season and have several players that are proficient from beyond the 3-point arc.

Forward Dino Gregory compared the Redhawks to William & Mary, a team that defeated the Terps last season.

"One through five," Gregory said, "can shoot the ball."

But the Terps have also shown a knack for scoring. Four players posted double figures against Florida Southern, and the team shot 57 percent from the field in its 106-58 rout.

Williams will likely trot out his experience-laden starting lineup of guards Adrian Bowie, Sean Mosely and Tucker and forwards Jordan Williams and Gergory. But his rotation is far from set, and the next few weeks will go a long way in dictating who is ready to step up among the five freshmen and junior-college transfer.

"There have been guys in practice that have really played well, but we're looking for guys that can keep it at the same level," Williams said. "There's nothing set in stone, and there's still jockeying for position."

While tonight's opener seemingly has more symbolic significance than anything, Bowie said it nonetheless marks "the most important game" of the season.

"You can't win championships in November, but can take a step closer to winning a championship," Gregory said. "That's what it's about right now."

ceckard@umdbk.com