After knocking on the door for the better part of the last month, Maryland has finally earned its first Associated Press Top 25 men’s basketball ranking of the season and first in nearly two years.
The Terrapins debut at No. 18 in the AP poll after upsetting then-No. 17 Wisconsin in College Park last Wednesday, their second ranked win in their last three games. It’s Maryland’s first AP ranking since Feb. 27, 2023, when it was No. 21 — one of five times it was ranked that season, also the last time it reached the NCAA Tournament.
Analytics rankings have been high on Maryland (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) all season, with the NCAA’s NET metric slotting the Terrapins at No. 15 and Ken Pomeroy’s data-focused list placing them at No. 18. But media members have been hesitant to rank Maryland until now, mostly due to a weak out-of-conference strength of schedule.
Maryland has hit its stride after a buzzer-beater overtime loss at Northwestern on Jan. 16. It has since rattled off four straight wins, including the first two road wins of the season at then-No. 18 Illinois and Indiana, and is tied for fourth in the 18-team Big Ten.
The Terrapins are in the midst of a rare mid-season week off before visiting Ohio State on Thursday.
• George Gerbo can be reached at ggerbo@washingtontimes.com.
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