After defeating a top five Iowa team at home and pulling out a win against Ohio State on the road, the Maryland Terrapins remained a No. 3 seed in most of the latest NCAA Tournament bracketology projections this week. The Terps are viewed by many as the best of the No. 3 seeds after securing win over Iowa, their best win of the season in terms of opponent.
Let's take a look at Maryland's NCAA Tournament profile as of today:
AP ranking: No. 4
Coaches Poll ranking: No. 3
Ken Pom ranking: No. 9
RPI ranking: No. 7
Based on those, a No. 2 or No. 3 seed seems appropriate for Maryland at this point in the season. As I mentioned last week, Maryland isn't just competing with itself in the seeding game. A lot depends on what teams ahead of them do and have already done.
In terms of wins and losses, here is how the Terps currently stand. (Rankings via Ken Pomeroy.)
Best win: No. 2 Iowa, 74-68 (home)
Worst loss: No. 32 Michigan, 70-67 (away)
Record vs. top 50: 2-3 (all losses on the road)
Record vs. top 100: 9-3
Maryland really needed that win over Iowa last week. It does a lot for its profile and gives the Terps a second win against a top-50 opponent. The Terps have four more opportunities to secure wins against top-50 teams in the regular season.
Another thing the Terps lack, in a good way, is a bad loss. Their worst loss from an opponent perspective was Michigan, a team well inside the top 50. That game was also on the road. If Maryland wants to continue to rise, the Terps need to avoid a loss to Nebraska, Minnesota or Illinois while also picking up a few additional top-50 wins before the start of the B1G tournament.
Here are the latest seeding projections for Maryland:
ESPN Bracketology - Joe Lunardi
Maryland remains a No. 3 seed in the South in Lunardi's latest projection.
CBS Sports Bracketology
The Terps are a No. 3 seed in the South as well.
Bracket Watch: Oklahoma Sooners solidifying spot as No. 1 overall seed | SI.com
Maryland moves up to a No. 3 seed in SI's latest mock bracket.
Field of 68: Syracuse jumps into the at-large group this week | Sporting News
Maryland is a No. 3 seed this week.
Kentucky and Kansas are two hungry blue bloods in our new NCAA bracket | FOX Sports
Maryland is up to a No. 3 seed in Fox Sports' latest bracket, but this version came out before Maryland's win over Ohio State. So, maybe they rise in the overall seed list a little bit.
Prime Time Bracketology
They have Maryland as a No. 2 seed in their latest update.