Maryland women’s basketball fell five spots to No. 9 in the Associated Press poll released Monday after suffering its first loss of the season last week.
The Terps were upset by Rutgers, 73-65, last Monday.
After guard Kaila Charles nailed a jumper to cut the deficit to 67-63 with 1:13 left in the contest, a pair of Maryland turnovers on consecutive possessions doomed the squad, which suffered its first loss in 13 games to begin the season.
[Read more: After upset loss, No. 4 Maryland women’s basketball is trying to fix its Achilles heel]
Maryland (13-1, 2-1 Big Ten) nearly dropped another shocker in its following game against Ohio State, but the Terps narrowly escaped with a 75-69 win over the Buckeyes to go 1-1 on the week.
For the first time this season, five Big Ten teams appeared in the AP poll.
Iowa moved up two spots to No. 17 to reclaim the second-highest ranking in the conference, as No. 18 Minnesota dropped six spots after going 0-2 last week. Michigan State was also winless last week, falling eight spots to No. 23.
But through three games in the conference slate, Rutgers and Indiana are the surprising frontrunners in the Big Ten at 3-0.
The Hoosiers checked in the at No. 25 in the rankings — the first time they’ve been ranked this season. And the Scarlet Knights received 41 points in the poll, the second-highest total among unranked teams.
Two weeks into conference play, the Big Ten has no clear favorite with the Terps stumbling out of the gate.
Although the preseason favorites are still talented enough to finish on top, Maryland must improve its consistency to win its fourth Big Ten championship in five seasons, beginning with Nebraska (7-7, 2-1) on Tuesday.
