Kevin Willard stayed calm when Maryland struggled early in the Big Ten season. His goal was for the Terrapins to be in a strong position as February approached.
They’ve done just that.
Maryland enters Thursday’s game against Ohio State and Sunday’s matchup with Rutgers with its first Top 25 ranking in nearly two years. The 18th-ranked Terps have won four consecutive games and six of their last seven, bouncing back from a tough 1-3 start to league play, which included two losses to teams in the far western part of the Big Ten.
“They could’ve let a lot of negativity affect them,” Willard said after Wednesday’s win against No. 17 Wisconsin. “Their attitude has been just phenomenal. I think that’s the biggest thing, is that they’ve been really resilient throughout the first part of this conference schedule.”
Maryland (17-5, 7-4) has been strong on both offense and defense. As of Monday, KenPom ranked the Terps among the top 25 teams nationally in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. Maryland is averaging 119.0 points per 100 possessions (21st) and allowing 95.1 (23rd).
The Terps also rank second in KenPom for blocking 5.4% of opponents’ 2-point shots and third in steals with 6.9% of opponents’ possessions.
The most impressive victory of the current stretch was a 91-70 win at then-No. 17 Illinois on Jan. 23. Maryland scored 53 points in the second half and posted their best road performance against a ranked team since January 2002, a season that ended with an NCAA title.
This current streak has put Maryland back in the Top 25 for the first time since spending a week at No. 21 in February 2023. Forward Julian Reese summed it up after the win over Wisconsin: “just trying to play our best brand of basketball.”
“I think the biggest thing was just getting through January,” Willard said. “I knew January was going to be hard with the (cross-country travel). I think the biggest thing is we’re getting a nice week here, a bye week, and just getting these guys refreshed mentally going into… what you want to be a fun February.”
Second-ranked Duke has had little trouble so far, staying unbeaten in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Blue Devils’ toughest test for going unbeaten in league play since 1999 could come this week on the road.
Duke (19-2, 11-0) faces Syracuse (10-12, 4-7) on Wednesday before traveling to Clemson (18-4, 10-1), which has won six straight and nine of its last ten games.
Duke, with the nation’s longest active win streak at 15 games, could become the first team to go 20-0 in ACC regular-season play. The last team to go unbeaten in the league was Duke in 1998-99 at 16-0.
No. 12 St. John’s reached its highest ranking since 1999-2000, but Rick Pitino’s Red Storm face a tough week ahead.
St. John’s (19-3, 10-1 Big East) will host No. 11 Marquette on Tuesday and then visit No. 19 UConn, the two-time defending national champion, on Friday.
The Southeastern Conference is filled with ranked matchups this season, with at least nine of its teams in the poll for seven straight weeks.
The biggest game of the week comes Saturday, with No. 1 Auburn hosting No. 6 Florida. No. 15 Missouri faces two challenges: traveling to No. 4 Tennessee on Wednesday and hosting No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday.
