Maryland Basketball joins elite group in latest rankings
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Riding a two game winning streak, the Maryland Terrapins return to the hardwood tonight for a road matchup against Northwestern. Although the Terps have continued to assert themselves as a legitimate contender in the Big Ten, they enter tonight's matchup against the Wildcats as a slight 1.5 point favorite. But one reason to feel really good about Maryland's chances tonight and moving forward is reflected in the latest KenPom rankings in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. These rankings reflect teams that have a balanced attack on both ends of the floor, and Maryland as established itself as one of the best.
In fact, the Terrapins join elite company as being one of only 12 schools to rank within the Top 30 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
12 schools enter the day KenPom Top 30 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency ⬇️
— JBR Bracketology (@JBRBracketology) January 15, 2025
-Balanced attacks that can beat you on either end of the floor
-Surprised to see more Big Ten schools than SEC
-Highly likely our 2025 national champion comes from this group of 12… pic.twitter.com/Fp7sP2CnxF
Maryland is one of just two teams on this list not ranked within latest AP Top 25 rankings. The other 10 teams include No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 3 Duke, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Marquette, No. 10 Houston, No. 12 Michigan State, No. 19 Illinois, No. 20 Michigan.
That's some elite company for the Terps.
In addition to their efficiency on both ends of the floor, Maryland has also established itself as the best team in the country when it comes to 'Kill Shots'. This is an area that represents how many 10+ point scoring runs teams go on, and Maryland is No. 1 in the country with 22 runs of 10-0 or better. The Terrapins also aren't giving up many runs of 10-0, sitting at just four surrendered.
Teams in the “Strong” category are the best in the country at going on big runs while not surrendering many.
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) January 15, 2025
Maryland leads the country in total Kill Shots with 22. Meanwhile, Houston has 16 and has only allowed 1. pic.twitter.com/SqTX5tAIeZ
If you're not into analytics then most of this won't mean anything to you. But even for those who aren't big on analytics, the numbers certainly point to a Maryland team that is playing the type of basketball that puts the Terps in elite territory.
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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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