The worst kept secret in D.C.-area men’s college basketball last winter was that Maryland had shooting issues — especially from 3-point range. The school struggled from the perimeter in November 2023 losses and never found its groove, finishing the season ranking 350th out of 363 Division 1 schools.

So, when the Terps made 5-23 (22%) of their 3s against Manhattan in November’s season opener, head coach Kevin Willard’s confidence things would be different this winter may have been met with a tiny bit of skepticism.

But he knew then that he and his staff had addressed the program’s long-distance shooting woes in the offseason, and it would only be a matter of time before his team would start connecting.

Enter a trio of transfers — Selton Miguel from South Florida, Rodney Rice from Virginia Tech, and Ja’Kobi Gillespie from Belmont.

“Selton shot 40% on catch-and-shoot 3s. We knew how good of a shooter Rodney was just because of watching him in high school and even his limited play at Virginia Tech. And then obviously Kobi’s numbers,” Willard said.

“So just that alone, adding those three guys was really the focus to help protect Julian and Derik.”

Miguel and Gillespie are hitting 42% from outside the arc this season while Rice has made 37% of his 3-pointers. After ranking 13th of 14 Big Ten schools in scoring, shooting and 3-point percentage last season, this team currently ranks fourth from 3-point range, and fifth in overall shooting and scoring.

Maryland needed that perimeter scoring Wednesday against No. 17 Wisconsin, hitting 7-11 3s in the second half to beat the Badgers 76-68.

“We got a lot of good looks in the first half but we were just kind of, a little amped up or not amped up enough,” Willard said. “Selton hit a couple — I think Sel hit the first one of the half and then he hit one when were down six to cut it to three. Having the right guys shoot them always helps.”

And sometimes being the “right guy” is contagious. DeShawn Harris-Smith might be hitting 5-23 from downtown this season, but one of those makes came in the second half and sparked the rally that put the Terps ahead to stay.

Starting five

Up top: Auburn remains No. 1 on my ballot and overall, and the Tigers’ 87-74 win over LSU on Wednesday gives Bruce Pearl’s team its best start (19-1) after 20 games in program history. The Tigers also boast National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome (18 points and 11 rebounds per game) back from an ankle injury, and it appears as if the 6-foot-10 forward is close to full strength after posting 26 points with 11 rebounds in Baton Rouge.

Duke is No. 2, but one wonders how much the Blue Devils will be held back by a soft ACC. Iowa State, Florida and Alabama round out my top five. Biggest variances? I have unranked Saint Mary’s 17th on my ballot and I have No. 25 UConn 18th. Meanwhile, No. 18 Illinois did not make my ballot this week (21-point losses at home will do that to you).

Toughest omissions: Maryland, Missouri, Texas Tech and Creighton. Small school shout-outs: VCU and Bradley.

Going Inside: Georgetown (13-8, 4-6 Big East) has hit a bit of a midseason snag, to say the least. On Tuesday against No. 15 St. John’s, the Hoyas missed 20 of their first 23 shots and trailed by 30 in the first half on the way to a 66-41 loss, the team’s sixth in seven games.

“Whenever you’re in a stretch like this and you’re a coach or you’re a leader, the last thing you’ve got to do is blame or point fingers. You point out the things you’ve done well to get to a point of having an opportunity to succeed,” head coach Ed Cooley said.

“You’ve got to go back to the basics, OK, clean it up with film, inspire your guys, let them know it’s not the end of the world.”

What needs correcting is an attack that hasn’t scored 70 points since December.

“We’ve got to look at our offense, our shot selection. We had six assists today — six. I think that’s the lowest we’ve had all year,” Cooley said. “So the ball’s not moving. That’s on us as the coaches we’ve got to address that.”

Georgetown has a chance to get well over the next few weeks, with four straight games against teams currently sporting losing Big East records.

Perimeter Play: George Mason (16-5, 7-1 Atlantic 10) matched its best start in the conference since joining the A-10 by gutting out a 58-53 overtime victory at Loyola Chicago. Senior guard K.D. Johnson has been the overtime specialist on this team, netting 7 of his 8 points in the extra session against the Ramblers while posting 7 of his 15 points against George Washington on Jan. 18 after the end of regulation.

The transfer from Auburn has provided a nice infusion off the bench, leading the team in assists while ranking second in steals. It’s proof that sometimes, the best transfers in the portal aren’t the flashiest ones.

Mason has a pair of road games at Davidson and George Washington to begin February’s “Moving Month” while building on its strong start. And for those curious about the previous GMU team that started 7-1 in the A-10? A fifth place 11-7 finish that saw a quarterfinal exit in the conference tournament.

Who’s Open: George Mason isn’t the only local school entering the weekend atop its conference. American (13-9, 7-2 Patriot League) owns a six-game winning streak and halfway through league play has become the team to beat, solidifying that status with an 81-77 win last weekend against four-time defending regular season champion Colgate.

Matt Rogers was named Patriot League Player of the Week on Monday and then tallied 21 points with eight rebounds in the school’s 75-68 win at Lafayette on Wednesday. AU leads Army by one game in the standings and faces the Black Knights on Saturday at 2 p.m. inside Bender Arena.

Last Shot: The first day of February delivers a pair of conference showdowns in the Commonwealth, starting with Virginia Tech (9-12, 4-6 ACC) visiting Virginia (10-11, 3-7) at 4 p.m.

For the first time since 2013, it appears as if neither the Hokies nor Cavaliers will be NCAA Tournament bound. Both teams are coming off wins in the Sunshine State. VT got 17 points and 13 rebounds from Tobi Lawal in its victory at Florida State while Virginia’s Isaac McNeely scored 26 points in a triumph at Miami.

They’re also the lowest and third-lowest scoring teams in the ACC, so don’t expect a work of art at John Paul Jones Arena.

Meanwhile, VCU (16-5, 6-2 Atlantic 10) hosts Richmond (7-14, 2-6) at 4 p.m. as well. The Spiders have lost six in a row and rank last in the A-10 in scoring, shooting and rebounding margin. The Rams lead the conference in turnover margin while ranking second in scoring and points allowed. They’ve also beaten Richmond the last six times they’ve met at the Siegel Center.

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