KenPom has Maryland basketball as the 48th-best team in the nation. Don’t freak out.

Fans were somewhat outraged last year when the Maryland men’s basketball team entered the season as the No. 24 team in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings. Expectations are quite different this season, and Maryland’s spot in Pomeroy’s rankings reflect that.

The Terps are No. 48 in Pomeroy’s preseason rankings this year. What’s that mean? Not a whole lot, probably.

Pomeroy’s statistics are incredibly valuable. We use them here at Testudo Times a lot. But his preseason rankings are completely projections, and that can be very tricky.

I’d argue his ratings apply even less to a team like Maryland. Sure, that’s a very convenient take for someone who runs a website about Maryland athletics to have, but hear me out.

Maryland’s a team that no one can really put a finger on right now. There are too many question marks. Melo Trimble, the team’s best player, is an uncertain quantity after a decrease in shooting percentage last season. The Terps lost four of their best players, and it’s unclear what that’ll mean. I guess these are problems that most teams face too, but Maryland seems to possess an uncertainty that most other teams don’t.

In other news

Here are some highlights from Maryland football’s win over Michigan State.

Maryland landed a commitment from three-star Georgia recruit Jalen Browder.

Maryland field hockey topped No. 1 Connecticut yesterday.

The stock report from Saturday’s game: Perry Hills and the running backs are up, and the run defense is down.

Here’s Thomas on why the abrupt end to Will Likely’s Maryland career just doesn’t seem fair.

In his return from injury, Perry Hills was really good against Michigan State.