Mark Turgeon might have turned in his best coaching job last season, molding a group of leftovers from a Big Ten title team of the year before into a unit that could still beat the big boys and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

There, Turgeon’s 10th-seeded Terrapins scored another upset, beating No. 7 UConn in the first round.

Now, the 11th-year Maryland coach will be challenged once again to put the pieces together; however, this season, those pieces, because of transfers into the program, should give the Terps a needed dose of size, athleticism and overall talent. Four transfers (of 8 newcomers total for Maryland) might hold the key: Guards Fatts Russell (Rhode Island) and Ian Martinez (Utah) and forwards Qudus Wahab (Georgetown) and Pavlo Dziuba (Arizona State).

They’ll join with senior guard Eric Ayala, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, and fellow returnees Donta Scott and Hakim Hart to help form the nucleus for the No. 21 Terrapins.

Best player

Ayala turned himself into one of the Big Ten’s best scoring guards last season, almost doubling his scoring average (to 15.1) from the year before. And he was at his best at the end of the season, when the Terrapins were fighting their way into the NCAA Tournament and then in the Dance, when he scored 23 in the victory over the Huskies.

The 6-foot-5 Ayala is a well-rounded player who can shoot from the perimeter — he had a team-tying-best 57 triples last season, hitting them at a 34 percent rate — but can also get to the basket. He shot 124 free throws last season, making better than 83 percent of them.

Had it not been for Ayala, Maryland would have been sunk last season. On a team that sometimes found itself laboring to score, he at least gave the Terrapins a chance, because he can not only hit a perimeter shot but can create for himself and others.

Biggest strength

It’s not necessarily been the Terrapin Way under Turgeon, but Maryland turned itself into a ball-hawking, defensive menace last season. And maybe that mentality can carry over.

The 2020-21 Maryland squad allowed only 65.6 points per game, the third-best mark in the Big Ten, and opponents shot only 41 percent, the second-best rate in the league. If Maryland was to win last season, it had almost no choice but to adapt more of a defensive mindset, slowing the game on offense and trying to lock teams down on defense. It worked well enough for the Terps to finish 16-13 by Selection Sunday, including 9-11 in the Big Ten. It beat UConn in the tourney, before being thumped by Alabama.

Will Maryland be able to replicate the style? Will it want to?

Well, that might depend on whether the Terrapins can get more offensive production, potentially from Russell, a 5-11 point guard who averaged 14.7 points and 4.5 assists at Rhode Island last season. And whether Scott (11 points per game) and Hart (7.1) can see their scoring averages increase.

Biggest weakness

Sounds crazy to say about a Maryland team, but scoring is a concern.

The Terrapins ranked dead last in the Big Ten last season in scoring average, getting only 68.9 points per game. Without a true post presence, the Terps was forced to be overly reliant on its perimeter shooting, so when they were on, they could win, but when they weren’t, it was hard to overcome.

The question this season is whether the Terrapins have answers on offense, particularly with Aaron Wiggins and Darryl Morsell, their second- and fourth-leading scorers, respectively, having moved on. Where does the offense come from? Russell will help and Scott, too — the junior forward hit 44 percent of his 3-pointers — but Maryland needs to find at least one or two others who can consistently contribute, as well.

Key to the season

Will the production from Russell and Wahab translate to their new locations?

That’ll hold the key to whether the Terrapins will be a middle-of-the-pack team in the Big Ten or one that can break into the top tier. For Russell in particular, the level of play is going to be higher than what he saw playing for Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10. Wahab, a Georgetown transfer, faced other good bigs in the Big East, but not quite to the level of the Big Ten, which features a seemingly endless string of great bigs, like Kofi Cockburn, Hunter Dickinson, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Trevion Williams and so on.

Scouting the backcourt

The combination of Russell and Ayala in the backcourt is in the top tier in the Big Ten. And add in Scott on the wing — he should get to play more on the perimeter this season, after being an undersized post last year — and it gives Maryland 3 versatile players who can shoot from the perimeter and get to the basket.

Hart could also see his game expand, especially now that he won’t have play out of position as much. Late last season, Turgeon moved the big guard to the point, in an effort to get as many of his offensive-minded players on the court at the same time as possible. Hart was fine there, but should thrive off the ball, and it could help him take another step forward as an offensive threat.

Scouting the frontcourt

The Terrapins need size, and they’ll get it from a couple of newcomers, one a veteran and the other a freshman.

After transferring in from Georgetown, Wahab is likely the starting 5 for Maryland from Day 1, giving the Terrapins a big man that they lacked last season. At GU last season, the 6-11, 240-pounder averaged about 13 points and 8 rebounds, helping the Hoyas to a Big East Tournament Championship. The Terps had no one near the presence of Wahab last year, which is a huge detriment in the big man-heavy Big Ten, where 5 centers made the 10-man preseason all-conference team.

Freshman Julian Reese could help inside, as well. The 6-9, 230-pound forward was a big get for Turgeon, being a 4-star recruit by 247Sports who was ranked No. 44 in the country in his class and No. 1 in the state of Maryland. The long, athletic 4 is a fantastic defender and rebounder.

Maryland would like to develop more depth, because it doesn’t want to have to play Scott on the inside, as it did frequently last season.

Predicting March

Maryland clearly has an opportunity to improve upon last season, thinking it can compete in the top half of the Big Ten, and maybe even surprise to be in contention for a league title.

It’s a dark horse pick. But Turgeon will need to mold the pieces quickly if the Terrapins are to knock off the league favorites, like Michigan and Purdue.

It’s reasonable to think Maryland will be more safety in the field of 68 in March, perhaps as a 4 or 5 seed, then be able to get into the second weekend.