In all comparison, the 2024-25 season has been a great success for Kevin Willard and the men's basketball team at the University of Maryland. The previous season, the Terrapins finished under .500, near the bottom of the Big Ten, and ultimately declined an invitation to the NIT. This season Willard has led Maryland to 25 wins and second place in the Big Ten regular season standings with wins over Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Even with the success this season, Maryland gives off the feeling of a team that hasn't gotten over the hump to what it takes to be a great team. The Terrapins have shown dominant performances against fellow tournament teams such as Illinois and UCLA, but also faced tough losses against Marquette and Michigan State; with even tougher losses to Northwestern, Washington, and the one most recently in the Big Ten tournament semifinals against Michigan.
TRE DONALDSON AT THE BUZZER!! #22 MICHIGAN UPSETS #11 MARYLAND 81-80 IN THE BIG TEN SEMIFINALS!!
— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 15, 2025
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Now that March Madness has arrived, the Terrapins won't have much time to make sure they have it all put together. So, even though Maryland should be favored in at least the first two rounds of the tournament; being relegated to the West Region, the Terrapins are on upset alert and these three teams are the biggest threat to a Maryland run.
1. Grand Canyon University: The Bryce Drew of college basketball teams coached by Bryce Drew
It has to start with their first opponent, Grand Canyon University! The Lopes won the WAC tournament for the third straight year this season and are coached by Bryce Drew, former NBA player and the author of one of the greatest buzzer beaters in NCAA tournament history in 1998, with Valparaiso's upset victory over Ole Miss
Everything about his game screams upset. Grand Canyon came to Washington state last year and earned their first-ever NCAA tournament victory with an upset over 5-seed Saint Mary's. Now, Maryland ventures to the Evergreen State with the Lopes waiting to take out another Goliath.
2. University of Memphis: Penny Hardaway and Tigers look to make their own run through the NCAA tournament.
Now, even if the Terrapins survive their first-round matchup against Grand Canyon, they must face the winner of the Memphis/Colorado State first- round matchup. Colorado State won the Mountain West conference tournament, though they probably benefited from New Mexico being knocked out by Boise State since the Lobos had beaten Colorado State twice during the regular season. Plus the Rams get the Memphis Tigers in a similar situation as Maryland, as Memphis travels west while Colorado State stays close to home.
The Memphis Tigers though, seemed to be built to make a run through not just Maryland but the whole West Region. The Penny Hardaway-led Tigers supplemented a relatively weak American Athletic Conference schedule by having a non-conference schedule that included opponents like Clemson, UCONN, Ole Miss, and Michigan State; all games that the Terrapins won. Memphis is the team that can cause Maryland to look past their first-round opponent.
3. University of Florida: the goliath of the West Region
So here we are, if somehow the Maryland men's basketball team can make it through the first two perilous rounds of the 2025 NCAA college basketball tournament, they would probably still be faced with their most obvious threat to a championship and that team is the Florida Gators.
The Florida Gators were part of the dominant SEC, staying neck-in-neck with perennial #1 overall seed Auburn; with the Gators ultimately getting the automatic bid by winning the SEC tournament after Auburn fell to Tennessee.
Florida plays Norfolk State in the first round and will still need to get past the winner of the Oklahoma and UCONN matchup to potentially face Maryland in the Sweet Sixteen matchup, but for sure the Gators will be Maryland's toughest matchup they have seen all season.
Maryland is ready to dance, as long as they don't get tripped up
In theory, you would think that the NCAA would pave a path for a team like Maryland; a team with a potential Top-5 NBA draft pick in Derik Queen, playing in one of the most heavily populated metro areas in the country, but the NCAA is throwing the gauntlet at the Maryland Terrapins. If this team can survive the early round contests, then they can become one of the true threats during March Madness.
Maryland's tournament run kicks off on Friday, March 21st at 4:30 p.m. ET against Grand Canyon University at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.