The Maryland basketball team will have plenty of new faces this season.

Maryland finished 24-7 overall last season and tied with Wisconsin and Michigan State for a share of the B1G regular-season title with a 14-6 record.

Unfortunately, the Terrapins didn’t get to realize their potential, as COVID-19 forced the B1G and NCAA tournaments to be cancelled.

This year’s Maryland squad will be without key contributors in point guard Anthony Cowan (graduated) and power forward Jalen Smith (taken 10th overall by the Suns in the NBA Draft). Cowan leaves Maryland 7th in points (1,881) and 5th in assists (584) in program history. Last season, Smith averaged a double-double (15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds) along with 2.4 blocks per game en route to earning first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-America honors.

Maryland will insert 5 freshmen and 3 transfers into the mix as they embark on this season.

Here’s everything you need to know about Maryland this season.

Best player: Aaron Wiggins

Wiggins was one of the best bench players in the nation last season. The junior shooting guard averaged 10.4 points and 4.9 rebounds en route to earning B1G Sixth Man of the Year.

As Wiggins enters the starting lineup, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon believes the transition will be seamless and emphasized his improvements.

“I think he’s ready for it; he played starter minutes last year. Maybe didn’t have starter mentality when it came to scoring,” Turgeon said to WTOP. “Kind of known as a shooter coming out of high school, his ballhandling, his passing and his decision-making have come so far. His foot speed’s gotten better, so defensively, he’s become a lot better player.”

Wiggins had his share of ups and downs last season, but he’s the Maryland player with the highest Draft ceiling. To take the next step, Wiggins will need to get his 3-point stroke back while also being aggressive in taking it to the basket. Wiggins regressed to 32 percent shooting from beyond the arc after converting at a 42 percent clip as a freshman.

Wiggins is a strong on-ball defender and arguably the most impactful defender on the team. Wiggins can hold his own against the opposition’s best perimeter threat.

Wiggins has shown potential during his first 2 seasons at Maryland. Now that he’s in a bigger role, Wiggins will solidify himself as a reliable 2-way threat.

Best newcomers: Jairus Hamilton and Galin Smith

Hamilton and Smith are 2 of Maryland’s 3 incoming transfers. Hamilton is a 6-foot-8 junior forward from Boston College, while Smith is a 6-foot-9 senior forward from Alabama.

Hamilton and Smith will vie for the starting power forward spot. While I’d side with giving Smith the nod, both have the physicality and frame to make their presence felt in the paint.

“Galin has a great feel: especially where to go offensively. His maturity will help us,” Turgeon said to WTOP. “Jairus Hamilton averaged double figures in the ACC last year; he’s a good player.”

Smith averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13 minutes per game last season at Alabama. Hamilton averaged 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds at Boston College. Not eye-popping numbers from either, but their experience will serve them well.

Count on both forwards making solid contributions as they get a breath of fresh air at a new program.

Biggest strength: perimeter depth

Maryland returns 4 players who started on the perimeter last season. Wiggins, junior Eric Ayala, senior Darryl Morsell and sophomore Donta Scott all spent time in the starting lineup.

All 4 served in complementary roles last season, which is why their stats are modest. More will be expected from them this season with the departures of Cowan and Smith.

Scott demonstrated during his freshman campaign that he has a high basketball IQ, is a decent 3-point shooter and is a strong rebounder for a guard. Scott closed out last season strong, as he tallied double-digit scoring totals in 4 of Maryland’s final 6 games. It’ll be exciting to see the next step of Scott’s development.

The 6-foot-5 Ayala finished 2nd on the team in assists and 3rd in 3-pointers last season. Turgeon isn’t putting all the pressure squarely on Ayala to replace Cowan but believes he brings his own dynamic capabilities.

“It won’t be 1 guy that does it. Eric Ayala is going to be Eric Ayala,” Turgeon said to WTOP. “Eric can really score the ball, Eric’s a really good passer, Eric’s got great size.”

The veteran Morsell will provide leadership and toughness. Morsell amassed career highs in rebounds, assists and steals last season.

Biggest weakness: center

The loss of Smith will be an enormous void to fill. Smith was a dominant force inside and saw plenty of time at center.

Chol Marial, a 7-foot-2 sophomore, is the likely starting center. Marial was rarely used last season because of hairline fracture surgeries on both legs. We’ll have to see if his raw skill set can thrive in a larger role.

Turgeon is remaining positive that Marial can take a leap forward.

“He’s starting to look like the Chol that I remember coming out of high school a few years ago,” Turgeon said to WTOP. “There’s a lot of things that we didn’t know he could do because he just wasn’t able to do it, and I think he’s been able to do a little more. He’s moving better.”

Outside of Marial, there aren’t many options at center. Freshman Arnaud Revaz could get some spot minutes. Hamilton and Smith could also slide over from the 4 whenever there’s foul trouble.

Season outlook: 13-12 overall, quarterfinals of B1G Tournament

Without their 2 best players from last season, Maryland’s ceiling is to finish 8th in a loaded B1G with 7 teams in the AP Top 25.

Maryland will, of course, compete to the best of their ability, but it would be unfair to expect a mostly new roster to pick up right where things left off last season, especially during the pandemic.

“I don’t know who our best players are and all that stuff,” Turgeon said to WTOP. “We don’t have exhibition games; it’s really hard to scrimmage even with depth as far as referees and everything and COVID tests.”

If the perimeter players perform to the level they’re capable of and Hamilton and Smith get properly acclimated, Maryland can win a game in the conference tournament and enter 2021-22 on a positive note.