Feb 19, 2013; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard/forward Jake Layman (10) reacts after a basket during the first half against the Boston College Eagles at Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
CBSSports unveiled their preseason NCAA tournament bracket, which was created by writer Jerry Palm. After missing the tournament a season ago, Maryland returns most of their talent and added freshmen guard Roddy Peters and forward Damonte Dodd. However, the Terrapins were left off the bracket completely and weren’t even mentioned in the notorious “First Four Out.”
To put things into perspective, Duke, Syracuse, North Carolina, Virginia, and Notre Dame were the ACC schools that appeared in the bracket. Duke was ranked as a number-one seed while Syracuse was a number-three seed. The number-one seeds were Kentucky, Michigan State, Duke, and Kansas.
Obviously, Maryland isn’t a slam dunk to punch their ticket to March Madness, but to not even get consideration is somewhat of a slap in the face. The Terps have a solid non-conference schedule and have opportunities for resume-building wins against Connecticut and Ohio State. This is a preseason projection, so there is no need to read too much into this.