In Jeff Barker's team preview in the Baltimore Sun, he focuses on our three seniors and the necessity that they replace the scoring lost to the graduation of Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and Landon Milbourne:

"Vasquez, Milbourne and Hayes averaged a combined 43.6 points — 54.7 percent of Maryland's total per game. That's a hefty load to replace. [...] The burden falls particularly hard this season on [Dino] Gregory and fellow seniors Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie. "

However, I do not think it is fair to place this burden on all three of our seniors. Instead, I think a better comparison would be Tucker, Bowie, and Mosley.

Dino doesn't have much of an offensive game to work with, so it is hopeful to think that he would be able to contribute to the scoring load too significantly. (Don't get me wrong, I love Dino's game. But he won't be able to put up 10-12 ppg, which he'd need to do to adequately contribute to the replacement of the lost scoring.)

Is it reasonable to think that the 3 perimeter players in our starting lineup (Mosley, Tucker, and Bowie) could completely replace the scoring load lost to the graduation of Vasquez, Hayes, and Milbourne? I think so.

Mosley: Although many see him as more of a glue guy, I see Mosley asserting himself as a consistent scorer, hopefully similar to the guy we saw at the beginning of last season (especially against Villanova). If he worked hard in the offseason, he should have developed a solid mid-range game and the ability to knock down the open 3. And he seems to have a hell of a work ethic, so I completely expect him to succeed. Prediction: 15 ppg

Tucker: He will be the new big man on campus. Tucker has always shown the ability to score in bunches, but he will finally achieve a degree of consistency this season. He has a great 3 point shot, and with defenses focused on Mosley and Jordan Williams, he will get a lot of good looks. A couple of 30 point nights aren't out of the question, especially since he has also shown the ability to get in the lane for easy buckets. Prediction: 16 ppg

Bowie: Unquestionably, he is the wild card of this year's team. Bowie may not be able to run the offense very well, but at the end of last season (especially against Duke), he stepped up for us in a big way. With the team running a lot more this season, he will definitely get more lay-ups in transition. If he shows an improved 3 point shot, he could become a vital part of this year's team. Prediction: 12 ppg

Add in Williams' 10 ppg and Gregory's 6 ppg, and that's 59 ppg from our starters. Add in 15 from our bench, and that's a respectable 74 ppg for the team.

These predictions may seem optimistic, but keep in mind that they take into account the fact that our team will be playing a very up-tempo style of play this year. Individually, any one of the 3 guys that I listed could meet my predictions, but can they put it all together to replace the scoring that we lost to graduation?