US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 2. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com through the end of the month and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition in February.

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No. 3 Maryland

2018 Record: 14-4 (4-1 Big Ten)
Coach: John Tillman (9th season)

All-Time Record: 822-271-4
NCAA Appearances: 41
Final Fours: 26
Championships: 3

Maryland’s offensive identity might not necessarily change in 2019, but its centerpiece certainly will.

Connor Kelly is gone after scoring more goals than any midfielder in school history. He closed out his career with a virtuoso senior season, delivering 46 goals and 36 assists en route to a First Team All-America selection and a place as a Tewaaraton finalist.

He could prove more difficult to replace than former Maryland attackman Matt Rambo, who won the Tewaaraton in 2017.

“Everything changes without Connor,” coach John Tillman said. “You kind of knew that last year we were going to be able to do things around him and use him as a decoy. Everybody was going to draw their attention to Connor. Now, the other guys have to do it.”

It’s fair to say Maryland is fully at ease with half of its starting offense, wherever they end up playing. Jared Bernhardt was a critical piece the last two seasons. Logan Wisnauskas emerged as a critical finisher in his first year in the program. Bubba Fairman scored 26 goals as a freshman.

Bernhardt and Wisnauskas figure to be keystones on attack. Maybe Fairman stays in the midfield. Maybe he doesn’t. But the three of them are the most obvious answers available to the Terps.

“They’re the biggest knowns we have,” Tillman said. “You kind of build around those guys. We didn’t know what Bubba would do last year or what Jared would do two years ago. We just didn’t know.”

As for the other pieces of the puzzle? Sophomore Adam DeMaio surely will fit somewhere after scoring six of his 13 points in last year’s NCAA tournament. Extra-man specialist Louis Dubick could claim a larger role as a senior. Will Snider started some last season. Christian Zawadski claimed more time as last year unfolded. Ethan Mintzer, Jack Wilson … the list of candidates goes on.

No matter what, the Terps’ offense will be different. However it turns out, it will test the creativity of a coaching staff that places a premium on versatility while building a roster.

“We like to recruit flexible parts, guys that can play two positions,” Tillman said. “If a guy is a terrific finisher and he excels at one thing and is elite at it, that’s helpful. But if you’re not at that level, we like having guys who do a couple different things.” 

The Case For Maryland

If there was something Tillman guarded against last year, it was dealing with any hangover effects from the program’s first national title since 1975. That said, Maryland was clearly relieved to avoid any serious lulls on its way to a final four. That hoopla is gone now. “That whole dynamic of 42 years and all that, everybody’s moved on from there,” Tillman said. “In a way, that’s a really good thing. I think everybody would take that problem, but we’re beyond that now and it’s kind of back to business.” That’s also a good thing, considering how well Maryland usually handles what is in front of it.

The Case Against Maryland

It never seems to be a problem for the Terps, but there’s a vacancy at goalie that needs to get resolved — and the importance of that position with the new clock rules is somehow elevated. After going from Niko Amato to Kyle Bernlohr to Dan Morris, Tillman probably faces his biggest scramble at the position since taking over at Maryland. Among the candidates: Graduate student Danny Dolan, senior Cameron Brosh and sophomores Colin Miller and Andrew Morris. “We are trying to figure out that position,” Tillman said. “Danny Dolan is in the lead, but we knew it would be pretty wide open.”

Path to the Playoffs

There might not be a coach more ruthless in his schedule construction than Tillman, who does everything he can to prevent the Terps’ strength of schedule from getting dinged. As a result, there’s plenty of chances for high-end victories, from nonconference dates with Albany, Notre Dame and North Carolina to nearly any week in Big Ten play. Maryland usually gets its share of those games, and if it does again, the Terps will extend the nation’s longest active streak of NCAA tournament appearances to 17. They are the only school to appear in every tournament since the field expanded to 16 in 2003.

Players To Watch

Jared Bernhardt, A, Jr.
40 G, 16 A

Bernhardt had the luxury of playing off some All-Americans the last couple of years. Now, he’s arguably the centerpiece in an offense that has produced a Tewaaraton winner (Matt Rambo) and a Tewaaraton finalist (Connor Kelly) during Bernhardt’s career. The junior might be the next Maryland star.

Curtis Corley, D, Sr.
13 GB, 13 CT

Corley followed up his exceptional championship weekend in 2017 by taking on most opponents’ top offensive player as a junior. He’s the latest in a line of technically sound defensemen who efficiently go about their business for the Terps. Expect more of the same.

Logan Wisnauskas, A, So.
35 G, 15 A

After redshirting at Syracuse, he returned to his home state and pieced together a 50-point season that got overlooked at times. But his timing for big plays was impeccable and needs to continue. “When he had opportunities, he just seemed to can them, which was huge for us,” Tillman said.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Defense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐

Faceoff
⭐⭐⭐⭐

20-7

Maryland is 20-7 in eight NCAA tournament appearances under coach John Tillman. The Terrapins have advanced to Memorial Day weekend seven times in that span, playing in five championship games and winning one.

5-Year Trend
Shooting Percentage

Coach Confidential
John Tillman

 “Defensively, we’ve got to continue to try to get back to where we’d like to be. We allowed some goals and won some shootouts last year, but we’d like to get back to being more stingy at that end. That’s going to be important for this team.”

Enemy Lines

"Clearly has been as consistent as any team in the country."

“The one thing I’m pretty impressed with is you hear all the time about how they reload. Well, they certainly reloaded. They graduate All-Americans and impact players every year and they bring in a couple and develop a couple every year. … They certainly have been the program to compete and compare yourself with.”

“They do have to replace a goaltender, defenders, Connor Kelly. They have some big shoes to fill. They’re in that mindset of figuring out who will be the go-to guys. They have the big lefty attackman, the transfer from Syracuse, who was pretty good for them. They have Bernhardt there, too. It’s just a matter of figuring out who steps up.”