Maryland men's basketball sliding in NCAA Tournament bracketology heading into two-game road trip

Ahmed Ghafir
Jan 23
2 min read

Maryland men’s basketball enters a pivotal game on Thursday night when they take on 17th-ranked Illinois, looking for their second win against a ranked opponent this season but more importantly, their first road win of the season.

Thursday marks the first of two consecutive road games with a looming matchup against Indiana next up this weekend, while it also marks the first of four consecutive Quad One games with the team just 1-4 so far this season. Maryland took down UCLA at home for what was their first win over a ranked team this season with the result now a Quad Two game, but the Terps are still looking for their signature win. And heading into what could be a season-defining two week stretch, Maryland finds themselves inching closer toward bubble territory.

ESPN (1/21): 9-seed vs. Baylor

CBS Sports (1/20) : First four out

FOX Sports (1/22): 9-seed vs. UNC

64 of 74 brackets include Maryland in their updated bracketology from this week, per BracketMatrix.com, with Bart Torvik projecting Maryland as a six-seed, a pair of outlets projecting Maryland as a seven-seed while Dratkings.com listed the Terps as the lowest eight-seed in his ranking. Those were outliers, though, after all but five of the 64 brackets placed Maryland anywhere between an eight and ten-seed, a gradual descent for the Terps after finding themselves on the cusp of top-25 status toward the end of non-conference play.

Following the pair of road games within four days, Maryland will then host 18th-ranked Wisconsin next Wednesday, Jan. 29 before returning to Xfinity Center for four home games in February.

Maryland is looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second time under Willard and third time since 2020.

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