Maryland Terrapins finish the season ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll
The last release of the College Basketball rankings came out earlier today, and the Maryland Terrapins have jumped two spots form last week, finishing the season ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll. It’s the first time that they have been ranked in the top 10 since 2002, and is also the first time they have been ranked since the third week of the season since 2002.
To sum things up, this is the Terps best season since 2002. They have the most talent they have had in 13 years and are more poised to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament then ever.
Ending the season as a No. 8 seed could indicate that Maryland will grab a two seed in the tourney. However, that will all be dependent on how far they go in the Big Ten tournament. If they come out victorious in the conference title game, then a number two seed is sure to be in their sights. With any other result, they will get either a three or four seed (a three seed is more likely).
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- Maryland Terrapins jump into the top 10 for the first time since 2003
A question that has bothered me throughout the season is this: Will any player on the Terps have a chance of claiming the Big Ten player of the year award or will any player be named to the All-Big Ten team?
As for the first question; no, I don’t think so. The Wisconsin Badgers have two players on their team in Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky that have a better chance of claiming the award than anyone else. However, the second question might be fulfilled for Maryland.
The Terps posses of two players that have a legitimate chance of being named to the All-Big Ten team. Senior guard Dez Wells is averaging a career-high 15.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He certainly poses as a viable candidate to be placed on the team.
The leader of this Terps team this season has been freshman point guard Melo Trimble. He leads the team in scoring and assists, averaging 16.1 and 3.1 per game respectively. Trimble is shooting 39% from three-point range and 88% from the foul-line. He might the only player on this Maryland roster that has potential to be a great player in the NBA in the future.
Forwards Jake Layman and Evan Smotrycz are going to be huge factors in extending the Terps postseason run as well. They are the two best players on the team outside of Wells and Trimble, and will be relied upon heavily to score some valuable points, both late in the game and early on.
The Terps are a tricky team because they have beaten good teams but have also lost to mediocre teams by a large margin and have just slipped by a few weaker teams. The bottom line is this: March Madness is coming back to College Park for the first time since 2009 everyone!