'Underachiever': ESPN gives brutal assessment of Maryland Basketball program
The month of March was a turbulent one for the Maryland Terrapins, and that's putting it mildly. The University of Maryland is searching for a new Athletic Director after Damon Evans announced he was taking the same job at SMU, former head coach Kevin Willard recently accepted the same position at Villanova, and the Terps have now lost nearly every contributor from the 2024-25 season (freshman Derik Queen has yet to make anything official).
It's a stunning turn of events from where things were for this program in the month of February. The Terrapins had solved their issues on the road, secured massive wins over some of the top teams in the conference, and had elevated to No. 2 in the Big Ten standings. And with what was arguably the best starting five in college basketball, the overwhelming belief was that Maryland was primed for a run at the Final Four.
But instead of the focus being on a successful tournament run, the conversation quickly turned to Willard and his future with the program. His decision to publicly criticize Maryland's lack of NIL support, along with failing to shut down rumors about his future with the Terps, completely overshadowed anything that was happening on the court itself. Ultimately, the Terrapins would lose in the Sweet Sixteen to 1-seed Florida, and the disappointment with what followed left a sour taste in the mouths of Maryland fans everywhere.
Given how high the expectations were for this Maryland team, ESPN recently labeled the Terrapins as an 'underachiever' this season.
If we were giving out grades instead of labels, the Terps would get an "incomplete." They do not have an athletic director and, as of Sunday morning, are also without a head coach. That's unprecedented instability for a program that just posted its top win total and first Sweet 16 in a decade.
Yet this is Maryland, which despite being a better Big Ten member than many expected or acknowledge, still can't seem to get out of its own way. Prior to this season's 14-6 mark, the Terps had a losing league mark in three of the previous four years. And they continually put themselves behind the eight ball with horrific nonconference scheduling (ranked 327 this season, 307 last season).
It makes you wonder whether there's an adult in the room, and whether that situation is going to change anytime soon.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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