An offseason of turbulence has resulted in Maryland men’s basketball being left out of the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll.
The Terps were not included in the rankings released Monday, nor were they among the 20 teams that received votes.
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Maryland was ranked No. 9 in the AP’s final poll this past season — a reflection of that squad’s 27-9 record and run to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2016. The team fell to eventual NCAA champion Florida, 87-71, on March 27.
But two days later, coach Kevin Willard — after bemoaning the university’s minimal investment in the program and the departure of athletic director Damon Evans while negotiating an extension — bolted for Villanova. Freshman center Derik Queen entered the NBA draft where he was selected 13th overall by the Atlanta Hawks before getting dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans, and junior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and redshirt sophomore shooting guard Rodney Rice transferred to Tennessee and USC, respectively.
The school moved quickly to fill Willard’s departure, wooing Buzz Williams to become coach on April 1. Tasked with reconstructing a squad that includes only one returner in reserve junior shooting guard Lukas Sotell, Williams brought in 10 transfers and five freshmen to fill out the 16-player roster.
The lack of returning experience explains the Terps’ absence from the preseason poll. Similarly, they were voted to finish 13th in the 18-team Big Ten in a media preseason poll conducted by the Columbus Dispatch and Indianapolis Star.
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While Maryland is not present in the AP’s Top 25, several conference rivals are. Purdue earned the top spot after going 24-12, advancing to the Sweet 16, and ranking No. 14 last winter, and the Boilermakers feature one of the top players in the country in senior point guard Braden Smith.
Michigan moved up to No. 7 from No. 10 after compiling a 27-10 record and reaching the Sweet 16. UCLA (23-11) and Illinois (22-13) entered the poll at Nos. 12 and 17, respectively, after falling in the NCAA Tournament second round and missing the final rankings entirely.
Michigan State was placed at No. 22, which is a significant drop from last year’s finish at No. 7 with a 30-7 record and an Elite Eight finish. And Wisconsin also took a tumble to No. 24 from No. 16 with a 27-10 mark and an appearance in the second round.
Some Big Ten foes that received votes included Oregon (25-10), Ohio State (17-15), USC (17-18), Washington (13-18), Iowa (17-16) and Indiana (19-13).
Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com , 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun .
