College basketball rankings, Week 12: Maryland moves up to No. 17

Maryland basketball rose in the Associated Press Poll for the second straight week following victories over Rutgers and Minnesota. The Terps are at No. 17, the highest they’ve been all season.

Maryland still hasn’t lost a road game this season, and is riding a six-game winning streak. The program’s only loss in Big Ten play came against Nebraska, when the Terps went scoreless in the game’s last six minutes and blew a 12-point lead. Besides that one blip, they’ve continued to pull out close wins en route to a 19-2 record.

Maryland’s also reached its highest point this season KenPom’s rankings, where they’re at No. 40. The Terps’ strength of schedule — 62nd overall, 209th out of conference on KenPom — hurts them there more than it does in the eyes of the AP voters.

Gonzaga moved up to No. 1 in the poll after Villanova’s loss to Marquette, which dropped the Wildcats to No. 4. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Wisconsin is No. 10, Purdue is No. 23 and Northwestern is No. 25.

Also of note: Duke is at No. 21, which is four spots lower than Maryland.

The Terps’ next test is on the road at Ohio State on Tuesday.