It’s only seven games into the season, but the Terrapins men’s basketball team has arrived on the national stage.

Many of us knew the Terps were for real after a nine-point win over then-No. 13 Iowa State during last week’s College Basketball Experience Hall of Fame Classic. The rest of the country caught on Monday when coach Mark Turgeon’s squad earned the No. 21 spot in the AP Poll.

It’s the first time the program’s been ranked in the top 25 since the conclusion of the 2009-10 season, and the development comes in the midst of the Terps’ best start in nearly a decade.

They haven’t opened a season 7-0 since 2006-07, when they won their first eight games. But even during that streak, the Terps didn’t top a ranked opponent, not to mention one ranked in the top 15 like the Cyclones, a potential national-title contender.

The Terps’ impressive November has been historic. And today’s contest against No. 7 Virginia at Xfinity Center offers the program another opportunity. Not since 2001-02 have the Terps beaten two ranked opponents in their first eight games while suffering one loss or fewer.

Something else important happened in April of that year: The program won its first and only national championship.

I’m not saying the Terps are guaranteed a spot in the Final Four because they won their first seven games. And that won’t change even if Turgeon’s squad takes down the Cavaliers today.

But it’s important to put this start in perspective. It means something.

And when you consider the obstacles this team has overcome to get to this point, it means a little more.

It started in the spring when five rotation players transferred from this university, including starting point guard Seth Allen. All of sudden, the Terps’ heralded freshman class was going to have to contribute right away — most importantly Melo Trimble, who would take over Allen’s role as floor general.

Then starting power forward Evan Smotrycz broke his left foot during preseason, leaving him sidelined for the first five games of the season. The senior returned Friday against Monmouth but “tweaked” his injury in a win over VMI, during which he played just eight minutes.

The senior’s limited action has meant even more playing time for the freshmen.

But even while adjusting to the college game, each member of the group — from Trimble to guard Dion Wiley to forwards Jared Nickens and Michal Cekovsky — rose to the challenge at a different juncture of the opening stretch.

For Trimble, it started with a 78-73 win over Arizona State, when he dropped 31 points on 7 of 11 shooting to come up just shy of the program’s freshman scoring record. For Nickens, it came the following night against Cyclones, when he posted 15 points off the bench to lead the team in scoring along with forward Jake Layman.

After the win in Kansas City, Turgeon said he walked off the court thinking, “Man, we’re really good.” But then came another setback.

At some point during the game against Iowa State, guard Dez Wells suffered a broken wrist. The injury required surgery, the team learned Nov. 26, and the guard would miss about four weeks.

“It wasn’t even 24 hours later,” Turgeon said with a sigh. “I couldn’t even enjoy it for 24 hours.”

Young players, though, kept stepping up. A few days after news of Wells’ injury broke, the Terps handled Monmouth at home behind Trimble’s 24 points.

Then in an 18-point win over the Keydets on Sunday evening, Wiley and Cekovsky provided their best games of the season. Both posted career-high scoring totals. Wiley went for 19, 17 in the second half, while Cekovsky poured in 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.

It’s a team that keeps getting better as the freshmen get more time on the floor and more time together. And the scary part is, Turgeon has yet to field his full squad.

So until the Terps get healthy, don’t be surprised if this young group continues to reach milestones.