After dropping both games last week, Maryland basketball once again dropped out of the updated AP top 25.
Maryland drew three points in Monday’s updated poll, the fifth-least and unofficially checking in at 42nd nationally. Following Sunday’s games, Maryland is also 20th in the updated KenPom and 26th in the NET rankings. That, along with a 2-9 record on the road and 3-9 against Quad 1 opponents, has dampened Maryland’s postseason outlook.
Maryland, one of ten projected Big Ten teams in the NCAA Tournament, drew an eight-seed against Florida Atlantic in the South region in ESPN’s updated bracketology. Should they win, that could set up a Round of 32 rematch against top-seeded Alabama based on ESPN’s projections. Maryland saw their last tournament run end at the hands of the Crimson Tide back in 2021 in what ended up being Mark Turgeon’s final postseason appearance as the Terrapins’ head coach.
Maryland will look to put the losing streak behind them when they kick off the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night against the winner of Minnesota-Nebraska. The Terps swept the Gophers this season and split with the Huskers as each home team won their matchup. Still, Maryland’s consistent inability to win outside of Xfinity remains the biggest point of pessimism heading into postseason play. Head coach Kevin Willard, however, pointed to Maryland’s wins over Saint Louis and Miami (FL) on a neutral court while playing Tennessee close in New York as the reason why he’s confident his team can bounce back.
“I think the biggest thing now is it’s single-elimination time. We had some lapses that led to threes and gave them momentum. I thought we made some plays, but needed to be a little more solid a few more times on the defensive end. We’ve played well, gave good effort and were physical, but when you struggle at times defensively on the road, teams will take advantage of those moments. I think we’ve shown great strides and have played well on neutral courts. The biggest things we’ll look at from today will be the possessions that got them back into the game as we get ready for Thursday.”
Tipoff is set for 9 PM on Thursday.
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