Print and Go Back ESPN.com: College Basketball Rumors [Print without images]

Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Big blow to the Terps?

By Luke Lapinski

Maryland was riding high following Saturday's victory over No. 2 Duke. That bumped the Terrapins up to 18-7 on the year, and gave them a signature win to point to on Selection Sunday.

Unfortunately for fans in College Park, last night's loss at the hands of 12-14 Boston College could be a costly one. It's the sort of game the Terps should be able to win if they're intent on getting invited back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2010. Instead, they fell to one of the lowest seeded teams in the ACC by 11. Equally alarming is the fact that Alex Len -- a projected lottery pick if he chooses to enter the NBA draft this summer -- managed just four points.

Now Mark Turgeon's squad finds itself at just 6-7 in conference play, and -- for the moment -- on the outside looking in, according to our own Joe Lunardi. Their BPI of 51 isn't bad, though their 2-5 record against teams with a BPI in the top 50 leaves a little to be desired.  There's still time for Maryland though; there just isn't much room for error now. And the final two regular season tilts with fellow bubble teams Virginia and North Carolina loom large.

Joe Lunardi
Work to be done
"I'm rooting for Maryland to make the NCAA tournament because I like Mark Turgeon and he has that program going in the right direction. But you simply can't lose at Boston College and complain about not being in the projected field. A 6-7 record in this season's ACC, along with a non-conference schedule ranking of 287, just doesn't cut it."