Maryland basketball climbs again in final AP poll of the regular season
Maryland is ranked for the sixth straight week.
The college basketball regular season is in the books, but Maryland is still rising in the AP poll.
The Terps (24-7, 14-6 Big Ten) are the No. 11 team in Monday's AP poll after receiving 835 points. Maryland was ranked 13th last week, when it picked up a 71-65 road win over then-No. 17 Michigan and a 74-61 home win over Northwestern.
Maryland is also ranked No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll after earning 424 points.
It is Maryland's sixth straight week being ranked in the AP poll. The Terps earned their highest ranking since the 2019-20 season, when they were No. 9 in the March 2, 2020, poll and No. 12 in the final poll.
The Terps finished in a tie with Michigan for second place in the Big Ten and earned the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. They will open the postseason at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the conference quarterfinals against either No. 7 seed Illinois, No. 10 seed Ohio State or No. 15 seed Iowa.
RELATED: Diving into Maryland basketball's Big Ten Tournament path
Maryland finished the regular season winning 13 of its final 16 games. The only three losses in that span – at Northwestern on Jan. 16, at Ohio State on Feb. 3 and against Michigan State on Feb. 26 – came in heartbreaking fashion on game-winning buckets in the final seconds. Maryland bounced back from the devastating Michigan State loss by winning three straight games to end the regular season: at Penn State on March 1 and last week's victories over the Wolverines and the Wildcats.
Maryland's 2024-25 regular season was one of the most memorable ones in recent years. The Terps lost seven games by a total of 27 points, an average margin of 3.9 points per loss. Maryland also went 5-5 on the road, finishing the season with a 5-1 away mark after losing their first four road games.
Maryland has been competitive, at a minimum, in all 31 of its games thus far. It has yet to lose in blowout fashion.
Maryland has one of the best starting fives in the nation: Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Selton Miguel, Julian Reese and Derik Queen. Though the depth may be a concern, Kevin Willard has a team that has a legitimate chance of making a March run.
