Ace Flagg copped to some pregame jitters in the locker room prior to the University of Maine men’s basketball team’s 89-47 exhibition win Wednesday over Division III Husson at Bangor’s Cross Insurance Center. On the court, though, none.

“The second I get out there on the court, I’m just locked into the game,” he said.

The twin brother of Cooper Flagg, a basketball player of some renown in his own right, Ace Flagg might be the most anticipated Black Bear basketball player since Lawrence High grad Cindy Blodgett made her debut 31 years ago.

Flagg chuckled at that thought. The fact is, Maine has had plenty of homegrown talent over the years, but this feels different. Like Blodgett, Flagg’s feels like a moment that can define a program. A three-star recruit, Flagg could’ve followed the path many talented players have taken out of state.

Wednesday night, Flagg came off the bench and scored nine points on 4-for-8 shooting from the floor, including 1-for-3 from 3-point range. Flagg grabbed three rebounds, and had an assist and a steal. He played around 18 and a half minutes as head coach Chris Markwood subbed liberally, with a dozen Black Bears playing at least 10 minutes.

“It was good for the team to get out there and get some competition in front of a crowd,” Flagg said. “I just tried to go out there and do what was asked of me. Make the right play.”

Attendance was listed at 1,512, which is high for an exhibition game between a Division I team and one from Division III. That doesn’t happen without interest in the local kid making his debut. For comparison, a game last season between Maine and UMaine-Fort Kent drew 569 fans in the Pit on campus. When the Black Bears took on UMaine-Augusta last season, it drew 458.

“I thought he played really well. He came in and he showcased his feel, his passing ability. He made some really nice plays on the offensive end, and I was really impressed defensively too,” Markwood said. “He just kind of showcased who he is.”

Flagg is wearing 11, his mother Kelly’s number when she played on the UMaine women’s basketball team.

“I used to see pictures of my mom in a Maine jersey, and to go out there and play in it now, the same one she did, it means a lot to me,” he said.

With anticipation of Flagg’s arrival comes expectations that the Black Bears will continue the upward trajectory they’ve shown the last few seasons.

It started a few years ago with the hiring of South Portland’s Markwood, a Maine alum, as head coach. Last season, Markwood’s third, saw the Black Bears enjoy their best season in two decades, reaching the conference championship game for the first time in 20 years and winning 20 games.

For a program that had gone 20 years without even a conference tournament win, advancing to the final was a game-changer. It reset expectations, even as Markwood had to reset the roster.

The UMaine men’s basketball team turned over half its roster. Essentially, the Black Bears have 11 newcomers: four true freshman, four transfers, and three redshirt freshmen who practiced but didn’t play last season. Still, the Black Bears were picked second in the America East preseason coaches poll, behind only perennial powerhouse Vermont. Maine even picked up a first-place vote.

“It’s a very good problem to have. I’m not sure if that’s the highest Maine has ever been ranked, but I like to see it, and I know our team does. We’ve just got to live up (to expectations) now,” said Keelan Steele, a 6-foot-10 senior forward and the only returning player with more than one career start.

Markwood welcomes the expectations, too. The alternative is apathy, and the program went through decades of that.

“As you’re building a program, you’re looking for benchmarks. I think expectations are a good thing. You have to handle them, but I’d rather be playing with expectations because that means we’re heading in the right direction,” he said. “The standard in our locker room is higher than anybody could put on us.”

Markwood is sure the team will face adversity, and with that comes improvement. That could come with the three road games that open the season, at George Washington on Monday, at Stony Brook on Saturday, and at Rutgers on Nov. 10. The Black Bears come back to the Pit on Nov. 16 for a Sunday afternoon game against Quinnipiac.

That’s the next time Black Bear fans will have a chance to see Flagg in person in a home game. He’s expecting it to be loud, and he can’t wait.

The fans can’t wait either.