March Madness and the NCAA Tournament are quickly approaching, and it's about time for the Maryland Terps to get ranked.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is not having one of its better years. Maryland is second in the ACC with a 9-3 record heading into tonight's huge game against Clemson. So how can a team that has an overall record of 19-7, not have been ranked in the Top 25 since Nov. 30 (Ap. No. 21; ESPN/USA Today No. 22)?
"We should be ranked," head coach Gary Williams said. "I don't think that's too much of an argument. ... Hopefully we'll get in there if we win enough games."
Players like the underdog role.
"I prefer not having a number next to our name and just being Maryland, not No. 25 or No. 24," sophomore forward Sean Mosley said. "I just prefer Maryland and just always continuing to be the underdog."
Last year on selection Sunday, Maryland had to wait nervously to see if the team would make the NCAA tournament. If the Terps beat Clemson, pencil them in now. Ten wins in the ACC will get you into the big dance. Maryland has four games left: Clemson, Virginia Tech, Duke and Virginia.
"I think they're in pretty good shape," Jerry Palm, who operates CollegeRPI.com, told the Washington Post. "There's still a little work to do, but if it were today, obviously, they're comfortably in the middle of the bracket."
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So tonight's game against Clemson is huge. Maryland lost 62-53 at Clemson, but the home court has been extremely advantageous for Maryland. Coach Williams' team has not lost to an ACC opponent at home all year.
The game tips off at 9 p.m. at the Comcast Center.
