COLLEGE PARK — As tuneups go, Maryland men’s basketball hopes the first three games of the season will pay dividends down the road.

Particularly Friday when Marquette visits Xfinity Center. Last season, the Golden Eagles (2-0) met back-to-back national champion UConn in the Big East Tournament final, were the No. 2 seed in the South region of the NCAA Tournament and advanced to their first Sweet Sixteen since 2013 before getting upset by No. 11 seed North Carolina State.

To prepare for Marquette, the Terps (3-0) rolled over Florida A&M, 84-53, on Monday night. They have been overpowering opponents, opening the season with three victories of 30 points or more for the first time in school history.

The team has also flexed their muscles defensively. Maryland has allowed an average of 51.3 points and induced an average of 19.7 turnovers.

“I think defensively, I’m really happy with where we’re at,” coach Kevin Willard said. “I think we’re putting on really good pressure. I think we’re creating some turnovers, we’re getting some deflections. So defensively, I like where we’re at. I think we can get better defensively. We’re playing a lot of guys. Sometimes you create some bad matchups, but I think for the most part, defensively, I’m happy.”

Senior power forward Julian Reese, a Randallstown native and St. Frances graduate, was one of five Maryland players to reach double figures in points with a game-high 21 and was one rebound shy of his first double-double of the season. Graduate student small forward Selton Miguel scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half and contributed two rebounds and two assists, and junior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie compiled 12 points, five rebounds and three steals. Freshman center Derik Queen amassed 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals, and sophomore shooting guard Rodney Rice came off the bench to score 10 points.

Reese had scored nine points in each of his first two starts, but Willard welcomed his eruption Monday.

“One of the frustrating things — and Julian hasn’t been frustrated — is when you put this many new guys out there with him, there is a learning curve from understanding where he likes the ball, when to get the ball, where to get the ball,” he said. “Ja’Kobi’s never played with him, Selton’s never played with him, Derik’s never played with him. So there is a little bit of a learning curve getting guys to understand how unselfish Julian is — which he has been — but I think at the same time, knowing that he’s down there. So we’ve talked about that the last week and a half.”

After playing on a sprained ankle and getting shut out in the season opener against Manhattan a week ago, Miguel, a South Florida transfer, has scored 11 and 14 points in his past two starts.

“Just taking it day by day, game by game,” he said of his recent play. “Had a little struggle in the first game, especially with my ankle. Coach really just told me to sit down and take a deep breath. Every game’s going to be different. So just come with the mindset that anybody can have a good night. Just had to be ready to play.”

Maryland vs. Florida A&M in men’s basketball | PHOTOS

The Terps scored 31 points off of 22 turnovers by Florida A&M and dominated in points in the paint (44-26), fastbreak points (19-3) and second-chance points (15-5).

The Terps appeared to be no match for Florida A&M from tip-off, racing to a 15-0 advantage within three minutes. Reese scored four points, and Miguel and Queen, a Baltimore resident, added three points each.

But after assuming a 17-6 lead, Maryland ran into a couple of dry spells. The offense went 3:11 without a point, and that opened the door for the Rattlers to score six straight points and get within 17-12.

After Reese sandwiched a layup by junior point guard Trey Lewis with two of his own, the Terps were mired in a more than five-minute drought that included five straight missed shots from the floor. Reese’s putback layup at the 4:57 mark of the first half ended a stretch of more than six minutes without a field goal.

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But Maryland closed out the opening frame with a 16-5 run sparked by five points each from Miguel and Gillespie. They took a 40-21 lead into halftime and inflated that gap to 39 points midway through the second half before waltzing to the final score.

Senior small forward Tyler Shirley led Florida A&M with 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists before fouling out midway through the second half, and graduate student shooting guard Milton Matthews produced nine points and three rebounds. Redshirt junior small forward Shaqir O’Neal, the son of four-time NBA champion and Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal, provided nine points and five rebounds off the bench.

But the Rattlers — amid a four-game road swing under first-year coach Patrick Crarey II — absorbed their third consecutive setback by at least 29 points and by an average of 35.3 points.

Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.