With one strong win and a ton of help from other teams losing, the Maryland Terrapins are once again one of the country’s top 10 teams.
The Terrapins leapt six spots to No. 9 in the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll, their first time inside the top 10 since mid-December.
As the 15th-ranked team last week, Maryland hosted then-No. 18 Iowa on Thursday and won 82-72, avenging a loss to the Hawkeyes on the road earlier in January. It was Maryland’s only game of the week.
Meanwhile, the five teams that were ranked Nos. 10 through 14 — Seton Hall, Oregon, West Virginia, Kentucky and Michigan State — all lost, allowing Maryland’s huge jump. Auburn joined Maryland in moving up six spots, tying for the biggest leap this week.
Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas and San Diego State remained the top four teams as experts begin to settle on that quartet as deserving of the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Louisville overtook Florida State for the No. 5 ranking after the Seminoles lost to Virginia.
Dayton, Duke, Florida State, Maryland and Villanova then round out the top 10.
This week, Maryland hosts Rutgers, which fell out of the rankings after being No. 25 last week, then travels to No. 20 Illinois.
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