COLLEGE PARK — The return of Dez Wells Saturday after missing a month with a fractured wrist gave No. 15 Maryland something the Terps had lacked the entire season – a completely healthy roster.
Wells was hurt in his team's victory over then-No. 13 Iowa State on Nov. 25, while senior forward Evan Smotrycz was sitting out with a broken foot he suffered in preseason practice.
After coming back for a two-game stint soon after Wells went down, Smotrycz re-injured the foot and missed three more games before finally getting back on the court two weeks ago.
It led to an interesting observation Saturday by junior forward Jake Layman.
"It was weird looking down the bench and not seeing anybody hurt," Layman said after a 72-56 win over Oakland. "We've got so much firepower on our bench, it's just really exciting to see how good we are and how good we're going to be moving forward."
Said Wells: "I think today was a peek behind the curtain. We have a lot more in store."
It will be interesting to see how fourth-year coach Mark Turgeon uses his now 10-man rotation rather than the eight or nine he has had for most of the season. Freshman Jared Nickens started his third straight game, though it seems likely Wells will return to the starting lineup Tuesday at Michigan State.
With Layman at a power forward position he has embraced this season, freshman Melo Trimble set at point guard and Wells at either small forward or shooting guard, it helps create three potential matchup problems for opposing defenses. Sophomore Damonte Dodd will likely continue to start at center.
The only question is whether Wells plays on the wing at guard or forward. Based on his past, Turgeon will probably go with experience, and continue to use senior transfer Richaud Pack at shooting guard. Pack is one of the team's best defenders and has led the Terps in plus-minus points for most of the season.
Layman and Trimble each played a team-high 30 minutes Saturday, with Pack getting 24 and Nickens 19. Wells played 22 minutes in a reserve role, Smotrycz had 20 off the bench, freshman center Michal Cekovsky got 19 (four more than Dodd) and freshman guard Dion Wiley played 13. Senior forward Jon Graham played seven minutes.
"Just having everybody back takes pressure off guys," Turgeon said. "We're still trying to figure it out. For me, the hardest thing is figuring out a rotation, how we're going to do it. There are some guys that sat over there today that helped us get to 11-1. We've got a lot of good players."