TT Court Vision: Top 10 dunks of the 2019-20 Maryland men’s basketball season

Welcome back to the Testudo Times film room. The 2019-2020 season was not short on spectacular plays for the Maryland Terrapins. With its length and athleticism, the team threw down multiple dunks per game.

Here are the Terps’ 10 best dunks from the season.

10. Donta Scott finishes home his first career dunk

Donta Scott’s freshman campaign got off to a solid start as he posted nine points and six rebounds in the season-opener against Holy Cross.

Here the Philadelphia native finished off a Jalen Smith miss for his first career flush. Scott’s energy and hustle were on display all season for the Terps and this was just another example of that.

9. Jalen Smith powers over the smaller defender

With his 6’10 frame, Smith led Maryland in dunks on the season. He lived off of dump passes and post feeds from his teammates all season.

In this and-one slam, Smith sealed off Northwestern’s Jared Jones then rose over him to finish the dunk.

Smith tortured the Wildcats in this game, going for 22 points and 19 rebounds in the 76-67 win.

8. Chol Marial rocks the rim in his debut

After having surgery in August to repair a stress fracture in both of his legs, Marial was sidelined for the first few months of the season. But on Dec. 29, the freshman made his debut against Bryant.

In the first half, Marial threw down two put-back dunks. On the second, Marial followed up a Wiggins miss and used his extensive wingspan to flush it home with some emphasis.

Marial would throw down three slams this game, in what would ultimately be his best game of the season. Marial only scored 10 points on the season, but six came in the 84-70 victory over Bryant.

7. Darryl Morsell with the two-handed flush

Despite only being 6’5, Morsell was one of the Terps’ more athletic players this past season. He was known for converting tough layups around the rim.

But on this play, Morsell opted for the dunk instead, taking off a few feet away from the basket and finishing the dunk with two hands. The hang-time on this one is awfully impressive.

Morsell’s dunk started a 12-2 Maryland run that would help push them over the top in its 56-51 defeat over Rutgers.

6. Wiggins one-handed slam helps comeback

Wiggins makes his third appearance on the list with another impressive one-handed transition slam.

The sophomore picked off an errant Minnesota pass and took three dribbles down the court. Minnesota’s Payton Willis tried to undercut him, but Wiggins gathered the ball with his right hand and flushed it as Willis flew by.

The Terps rallied down from 17 points to defeat Minnesota, and Wiggins was a key part of that. He shot 6-for-8 from the floor, en route to a team-high 16 points to help the Terps complete the incredible comeback.

5. Ayala shows off his bunnies

Only one minute prior to Wiggins’ viral put-back slam, Ayala threw down his own impressive dunk against Notre Dame.

After a deflecting a pass, the Delaware native got out in transition. He caught the ball at the three-point line, took one dribble in and slammed home a two-handed flush with Notre Dame’s Rex Pflueger in his vicinity.

“I’m still a little surprised myself,” Ayala said after the game of the dunk. “I put a lot of work this offseason into my body and it’s all paid off.”

4. Don’t jump with Stix

While most of Jalen Smith’s dunks came in the half court this past season, the big man showed he can run the floor too.

In transition here, Ayala found Smith with a sweet no-look pass. Smith rose up and slammed it home over Rutgers’ Paul Mulcahy, drawing a foul and igniting the Xfinity Center crowd.

This dunk took place during a crucial run that helped the Terps finish off a 56-51 victory over Rutgers. Smith was his dominant self in this game, going for 14 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks.

3. Wiggins catches a body for an and-one

It’s no surprise that Wiggins makes another appearance on the list, as he was arguably the Terps’ most explosive athlete.

Here the sophomore got in the passing lane to deflect a pass, then used his speed to track the ball down. The poor Fairfield defender thought he could jump with Wiggins and prevent a basket. He thought wrong. Wiggins slammed the dunk home, despite the contact to complete a mini-poster.

Plays like the one above, where Wiggins uses his size and athleticism, are why some say he has the potential to one day make an impact in the NBA.

2. Eric Ayala posterizes a George Mason defender

In the offseason, most of Ayala’s teammates added weight to their frame to improve strength. But Ayala realized he needed to get faster and more athletic, so he cut 20 pounds.

That added athleticism showed in just the fifth contest of the season. Here the sophomore guard beat his man off the dribble, jumped off one leg and threw down a two-handed dunk over George Mason’s A.J. Wilson.

The 6’7 Wilson was one of the nation’s best shot blockers, leading the Atlantic 10 with 2.9 blocks per game. But Ayala got the best of him here.

1. Aaron Wiggins follows his own miss

Wiggins had no shortage of electric plays for the Terps this season, especially when it came to dunking. At 6’6, the sophomore had no problem rising up for several emphatic dunks. But this one easily triumphs all other Maryland dunks as the best one of the season.

With time expiring, Wiggins realized his shot is off to the right. He immediately broke for the basket, jumped in the air to catch the ball, and dunked it in one smooth motion.

The dunk was so good, it landed at No. 1 on the SportsCenter Top 10.

“As I shot, I kinda faded away from it so I knew it was short,” Wiggins said. “I saw it bounce off the rim and go up, and I jumped to go and get it. And I realized I was close to the rim, so I put it in. I realized afterwards that I just put-back dunked my own shot and I was like, ‘that’s crazy.’”