Terrapins men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon still believes his team can capture a national championship despite earning a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament and a potential path that includes a matchup with the No. 1 overall seed before the Final Four.

“You have five or six teams that are really, really good and everybody’s going to say these are the five or six that can win the national championship,” Turgeon said Sunday, about an hour after the Terps’ seeding was announced. “Then you have teams like us that can get hot and are talented enough to get it done.”

About a month ago, the Terps were likely in that top-tier group. They began the season at No. 3 in the Associated Press rankings and were No. 2 in the Feb. 8 poll. But they have lost five of their last eight games, including a 64-61 loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten semifinals Saturday.

The Terps open the NCAA Tournament Friday at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET with a matchup against No. 12-seed South Dakota State in Spokane, Washington. If they win, the Terps will face the winner of the No. 4-seed California/No. 13-seed Hawaii in the Round of 32.

“If our guys lock in, they’re really good,” Turgeon said. “So if they can figure out how to lock in for two games this weekend, they should play well.”

The Terps are familiar with South Dakota State after watching them in the Cancun Challenge. While the two schools were in different divisions and never met on the court, senior guard Rasheed Sulaimon said the Jackrabbits’ shooting and floor spacing stood out. They have three players that average 14.7 points or more.

If the Terps win both game this weekend, they’ll likely face No. 1-seed Kansas in the Sweet 16.

“Regardless of our seeding, we know we’ll have to play good teams to complete our goal anyway,” said Sulaimon, who reached the Elite Eight with Duke as a freshman in 2013.

No one else on the team has advanced past the Round of 32.

While the Terps have struggled down the stretch, they have been preparing for the NCAA Tournament all season. It offers an opportunity to start fresh and fulfill their preseason goal: A national title.

“We’ve been shooting for this all year,” Turgeon said. “So we’re excited and looking forward to it.”