Maryland basketball drops out of AP top 25

After a second straight 1-1 week, Maryland men's basketball has slipped from the AP top 25. The Terps (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten) returned to the “others receiving votes” section after being ranked No. 23 last week.

The Terps earned the 29th-most points this week, with 105, trailing just Nebraska outside the poll (three teams tied for 25th with 118 points). Maryland’s ranking was put in jeopardy by losing a road game to Purdue by two, who itself had lost its ranking the week before. The Terps followed that up with a 14-point win over Loyola-Chicago in Baltimore, but not in convincing enough fashion to keep their ranking.

Maryland went 2-2 in its first ranked stint this season. After breaking in at No. 24 two weeks ago, the Terps fell at home to No. 4 Virginia before rebounding with a home win over Penn State. Maryland’s loss to Purdue came in its first true road test, and its win over Loyola-Chicago was a sloppy affair that saw both of Maryland’s big men deal with foul trouble.

The Big Ten is still represented in the polls by five teams: No. 5 Michigan, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 15 Ohio State, No. 16 Wisconsin and No. 22 Iowa. Maryland has three nonconference games left before the new year, and just one of those has the potential to push Maryland back into the ranks. The Terps take on Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday night, then get an 11-day reprieve for finals before returning to the Xfinity Center to take on a Seton Hall team that topped Kentucky at the buzzer last weekend.

Maryland’s Tuesday matchup with Loyola tips off at 7 p.m. ET at Xfinity Center, airing on BTN.