COLLEGE PARK - Having lost four starters who represented a slew of scoring, rebounding and athletic ability, the Maryland Terrapins figured their first ride as defending NCAA men's basketball champions would be marked with potholes.
And knowing his roster would include a five-man recruiting class, Terps coach Gary Williams avoided scheduling any early tournament trips, preferring to take advantage of six weeks of continuous practice time before beginning the title defense.
Following seven games, during which it has failed to beat a team currently ranked and has lacked poise or hustle or both, Maryland (4-3) looks like a project in need of pruning.
Over the next 11 days, during which the Terps play only one game while dealing with final exams, Williams will examine his talent and contemplate changes in the way he uses it.
In other words, don't be surprised if you begin to see less of such seniors as power forward Tahj Holden and shooting guard Drew Nicholas and more of such newcomers as freshman guards John Gilchrist and Chris McCray and junior forward Jamar Smith.
Don't be shocked if Williams trades some of his loyalty to his upperclassmen for the athleticism - and understandable mistakes - his young players have to offer.
"We're creating this team. It's a work in progress," Williams said. "The guys that were here last year obviously were a very important part of the team, but if they didn't play well, it probably wasn't going to cost us the game, and they helped us win a lot of games. Now, they have to play well for us to win against Top 20 teams."
Following a 69-64 defeat on Saturday by then-No. 14 Florida, which ended the Terps' 87-game home winning streak against nonconference teams, Williams said his first order of business is to get his seniors to play better.
For starters, Nicholas has to make plays in the clutch, which he has failed to do in each loss. Holden has to be a physical presence in the post, where the 6-foot-10, 270-pounder has been invisible for lengthy stretches. Point guard Steve Blake has forced shots and failed to be a scoring factor in two losses.
The most disturbing aspect of Maryland's recent 1-3 slide has come down to a lack of patience and toughness, which has showed up in the Terps' softness on the boards, their lack of ability to get to the free-throw line and their tendencies in crunch time to rush shots or commit costly turnovers.
"It's the most frustrating thing when you're so close to a win and you lose in the fashion we did," said Holden, following Maryland's late fade against the Gators. "Florida was just going after the ball harder than we were. It's tough to say that, but that's reality."
Not that the Terps are pushing the panic button, not after being in such good position to win twice during this dip. Not after starting 1-3 two years ago before their first Final Four trip and losing the season opener a year ago.
But the reshaping of the Maryland rotation has begun.
"We're going to look at a lot of different combinations over these next two weeks," said Williams, who already has replaced senior Calvin McCall with 6-8 freshman small forward Nik Caner-Medley in the starting lineup.
Caner-Medley, an outstanding leaper who has played with lots of fire at times, looked flat during a three-point, five-rebound showing against Florida. He also played for only seven minutes each half, despite committing only two fouls.
Williams said he wants to find ways to get more playing time for McCray and Smith, who have barely been used so far.
McCray is the heir apparent to Nicholas, who replaced Juan Dixon. Smith, an athletic, 6-8 star at Allegany College, has been in Williams' doghouse after some uninspired play and practices early in the season. He showed flashes in a four-minute first half against Florida, but did not play in the second half.
"That's probably my fault, because Jamar didn't do anything wrong," Williams said.
Freshman forward Travis Garrison, who was outstanding at Indiana, but disappeared on Saturday, will press Holden for more playing time. And Gilchrist, who was dazzling with his quickness and passing while running the offense for 22 minutes on Saturday, should force his way into more action - with Blake and Nicholas sliding down to form a three-guard set or one of them on the bench.
In Maryland's three defeats, the Terps averaged only 4.7 steals and had 41 assists to go with 43 turnovers. This, from a team that has been a model of efficiency for two years.
"This is good for all of us in the program, because I think there's a tendency to get spoiled sometimes," Williams said. "Everybody is trying to do what we did. We've got a lot of work to do."
Next for Terps
Matchup:No. 24 Maryland (4-3) vs. UMBC (3-2)
Site:Comcast Center, College Park
When:Monday, 8 p.m.
TV/Radio:Comcast SportsNet/WBAL (1090 AM)