College basketball bracketology: Maryland slipping towards a No. 4 or No. 5 seed ahead of Big Ten Tournament

With conference tournaments either completed or underway, the final seedings for teams begins to come into focus. As we learn who the automatic berths will be and see who will be left in our out, we can finally start to see where we believe Maryland will end up when everything is said and done.

When this season began, I don't think most people thought the Terps would have a ceiling of a No. 3 seed entering the Big Ten Tournament. Most, myself included, thought this could be Maryland's best, most talented team, since the national title team of 2001-2002. Unfortunately, inconsistent play has resulted in Maryland losing a few games it probably shouldn't have lost, opening the door for other teams who have consistently improved their NCAA at-large resumes.

So what seed is Maryland most likely to end up with? Let's take a look at a few different scenarios.

As of Wednesday evening, according to Bracket Matrix, Maryland's average seed is across all of the bracket projections is 4.51. The highest any projection has Maryland is a No. 3 seed. The lowest is a No. 6 seed.

If the season ended today, Maryland would likely be a No. 4 or No. 5 seed.

Should the Terps win their first game, likely against Wisconsin, that should solidify their position as a No. 4 seed.

Should Maryland win its first two games in the B1G Tournament

If they won a second game, it would probably be against Michigan State, which would be a huge, quality win for Maryland. It could be enough to send them up to the No. 3 seed line.

If Maryland wins the Big Ten Tournament

Should the Terps win three straight in Indianapolis, I'm still not sure it would be enough to get them up to a No. 2 seed. It has more to do with what the teams ahead of them have accomplished. Maryland would like have added three top-30 wins to its resume, but it would probably be too little too late.

Here is Maryland's profile as of Wednesday evening:

Maryland Terrapins, 24-7, (12-6 B1G)

RPI ranking: No. 12

Ken Pomeroy ranking: No. 24

Coaches Poll: No. 15

AP Top 25: No 18

Top-50 wins (via KenPom):

No. 15 Purdue (home)
No. 17 Iowa (home)
No. 27 Wisconsin (road)
No. 31 Connecticut (neutral)

Losses outside top 50 (via KenPom):

No. 216 Minnesota (road)

Here are the latest projections from the major bracketology folks:

ESPN Bracketology - Joe Lunard
Maryland is a No. 5 seed in the West, where North Carolina is the No. 1 seed.

CBS Sports Bracketology
Maryland is a No. 4 seed in the East, where Villanova is the No. 1 seed.

Bracket Brad's Big Board - Yahoo! Sports
Maryland slipped to a No. 5 seed this week.

Bracketology: This is March - SBNation.com
SBNation's Chris Dobbertean's projects Maryland as a No. 4 seed in the South, where Virginia is the No. 1 seed.

Bracket Watch: SI.com
Maryland is a No. 4 seed in the Midwest.

Bracketology: | The Big Lead
Maryland is a No. 4 seed in the East. Their East bracket includes Villanova at No. 1.

RealTimeRPI.com
Based on RPI, Maryland would be a No. 3 seed.

RSN Bracketology
They have Maryland as a No. 4 seed.