Despite toppling then-No. 12 Purdue on Feb. 12, the Maryland men’s basketball team remains at No. 24 in the latest Associated Press poll released Monday.
The Terps lost to then-No. 6 Michigan on Saturday after a tepid start to the game, creating a 14-2 hole they couldn’t overcome in the second half. The Wolverines and Boilermakers both suffered a drop in the rankings, to Nos. 7 and 15, respectively.
Meanwhile, Maryland slots in at No. 19 in the KenPom rankings.
[Read more: No. 24 Maryland men’s basketball can’t overcome early hole in 65-52 loss to No. 6 Michigan]
Maryland has suffered early and often during games this season. Coach Mark Turgeon’s side opened 0-for-7 against Purdue, using stifling second-half defense to disrupt guard Carsen Edwards’ performance and hold the Boilermakers to just 18 points after intermission. The eventual 14-point victory, 70-56, was the largest win over a ranked team during Turgeon’s tenure in College Park.
While the Boilermakers allowed the Terps to hang around early, the Wolverines didn’t provide such a luxury. Still, Maryland entered the break down by nine points, within striking distance despite 13 first-half turnovers.
After losing to Penn State in a midweek matchup, though, Michigan bounced back to beat the Terps, 65-52, remaining undefeated at home this season.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Michigan State rose one spot to No. 10, Iowa remained at No. 21 and Wisconsin dropped two places to No. 22. And after then-No. 1 Tennessee lost to then-No. 5 Kentucky, the Volunteers dropped four spots, pushing Duke back into the top seed.
So, even with plenty of movement at the top of the rankings, the Terps stood still at the bottom with matchups against the Hawkeyes and Ohio State looming this week.
