To paraphrase the wildly annoying Sacramento Kings announcer Grant Napear, if you don’t like the Ken Pomeroy ratings, then you don’t like college basketball.
Is Maryland A Sleeping Giant?
↵Therefore, this item caught my eye. Pomeroy’s ratings list Maryland as the 10th-best team in the country. That’s right, Maryland. The same Maryland team that’s ranked 42nd in the AP Top 25 and has a loss to William and Mary this season.
↵What could explain their high ranking? One explanation is that, besides William and Mary, most of their losses have been close ones against good teams (Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Villanova on a neutral court, Clemson and Wake Forest on the road, the latter in overtime). Another is that Maryland’s offensive efficiency (points/100 possessions) is a sterling 115.4, 17th in the nation, while their defense is a not-too-shabby 88.8, 22nd in the country. Finally, Maryland has struggled in close games this year (they’re 2-5 in games decided by 10 points or less), and close games tend to come down to factors best described as “luck.”
↵Regardless, in a wide open ACC, we should be paying more attention to the Terps. And that’s not just because everyone hates their star player.
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↵Photo via Mister Irrelevant.
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