Maryland has been criticized in recent years for not challenging itself enough in its out of conference schedule. But the critics might have a hard time poking holes in the out of conference slate this year’s Terps team will play.

Sure, the out of conference schedule still includes some weaker matchups such as Hofstra and Loyola, there’s even a Division-II team in the mix, but that’s typical of every program. You simply can’t give yourself too much of a gauntlet of high-major teams before conference play and expect you’ll be a shoe-in for the NCAA Tournament, regardless of how talented your team is or isn’t.

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Now, perhaps Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon has taken the fear of dropping a non-conference game to the extreme over the years, but the Terps have actually fared pretty well in most of its competitive non-conference games throughout the Turgeon era.

Since joining the Big Ten, Maryland has out-of-conference wins over Arizona State (65 KenPom ranking at time), Iowa State (16), Oklahoma State — twice (38 and 22), Georgetown — twice (62 and 69), UConn (26), Kansas State (30), Butler (20), Marquette (31), and Notre Dame (57). The Terps’ non-conference losses include Virginia — twice (6 and 1), North Carolina (2), Pittsburgh (79), Syracuse (41), Seton Hall — twice (60 and 20), Clemson (45).

By my count, that’s 11 wins versus 8 losses to “quality” college basketball programs before Big Ten play got under way. Maryland has four such games early this season — Richmond, Virginia Tech, Florida, and either Louisville or Mississippi State (depending on outcome of games during holiday tournament).

Taking a look at the broader picture of Maryland’s out-of-conference schedule this year, here is how it breaks down based on CBS Sports’ College Basketball Rankings.

Quinnipiac (264)

George Washington (245)

Vermont (104)

George Mason (166)

Hofstra (232)

Richmond (41)*

Louisville or Mississippi St. (30 or 51)*

Virginia Tech (44)

Florida (35)*

Loyola MD (207)

Brown (156)

* denotes away from CP

Simply put, as the No. 21 ranked team in the country in the preseason poll, Maryland should have no problem with the majority of the teams on this out-of-conference schedule. Any team out of the top 60-80 should not even compete with this year’s Terps team. But then there are those four games that deserve more attention and that should be quite interesting. Let’s take a closer look…

Richmond – KenPom Ranking: 64 | CBS Ranking: 41

Maryland has opted into playing a holiday tournament in the Bahamas that will include quite the competitive field. Besides the Terps, the four-team field includes Richmond, Mississippi State, and Louisville. Maryland will take on Richmond in the first round on November 25th — Thanksgiving. The Spiders have been one of the better mid-major programs in recent years and they should give the Terps their first true test of the season. The tournament is called the Baha Mar Hoops Event and it will be held at the Baha Mar Convention Center. Maryland women’s basketball is competing in the women’s version of the tournament as well. CBS likes Richmond a bit more than KenPom does, but CBS makes a strong case for why the Spiders should be ranked so high. They return most of their roster from last year’s team that earned wins over Kentucky and Loyola-Chicago. Chris Mooney is a good coach and this might be his most talented Richmond team to date.

Louisville – KenPom Ranking: 36 | CBS Ranking: 30

The plan was initially to have NC State in the holiday tournament in this spot, but adding Louisville in the mix is a big upgrade from a strength of schedule standpoint. Under the tutelage of Chris Mack, the Cardinals can ball and will be able to match Maryland in pretty much all aspects of the game. This one will likely come down to which team shows up that night — if this matchup even ends up happening at all. If Maryland and Louisville do meet in this holiday tournament though, it could be a huge resume builder for either program.

Mississippi St. – KenPom Ranking: 65 | CBS Ranking: 51

Ben Howland’s Mississippi State team was fortunate enough to play 33 games during last year’s pandemic-ridden season. That is more than almost every other team in college basketball. That kind of experience playing together and building chemistry can and should give the Bulldogs a big boost entering the 2021-22 season. Some experts are saying this could be the year the SEC gets up to seven teams in the NCAA Tournament, but much of that will depend on the type of season Mississippi State can put together. Last year’s Bulldogs team had its ups and downs, but it finished strong with a finals appearance in the NIT. There could be a carry-over effect here, which would make the Bulldogs a dangerous out of conference opponent if this matchup takes place.

Virginia Tech – KenPom Ranking: 39 | CBS Ranking: 44

One of last year’s most surprising teams, the Hokies will be sneaking up on no one this year. Mike Young is a great coach and he has some serious firepower with Keve Aluma, Storm Murphy, and Naheim Alleyne. Aluma is one of the best players in the ACC and was previously with Young at Wofford — as was Murphy. This is a team that is going to be near the top of the ACC rankings all year long and that will give any team a tough fight. It will be a true test to start the month of December and a gauge for how ready Maryland is for an even bigger matchup less than two weeks later.

Florida – KenPom Ranking: 25 | CBS Ranking: 35

THIS is the game that could be the cornerstone of Maryland’s NCAA Tournament in terms of out-of-conference play. The Terps will certainly have an elite strength of schedule either way because of the Big Ten’s competitiveness, but having that key non-conference victory can be a real difference-maker when it comes to tournament seeding. Mike White and the Gators are forced with the task of replacing now NBA talents Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann, but it is still a very deep and talented roster in Gainesville. The names to know on Florida’s roster are Colin Castelon, Phlandrous Fleming Jr., and Penn State transfer Myreon Jones, who had 17 points against the Terps in last year’s regular season finale.

Pat Donohue
Pat Donohue

Terps Analyst

Pat has been covering sports in the DMV area since 2012. He is a former Washington Redskins beat reporter for PressBoxDC.com and has been covering University of Maryland football and basketball recruiting and daily beats for Rivals.com’s Terrapin Sports Report since 2013. Pat graduated from College Park with his master’s degree in journalism and has received bylines in publications such as USA TODAY Sports, The Philadelphia Inquirer, SB Nation, and Yahoo! Sports. A Philadelphia native, Pat enjoys fishing, golfing, and playing fantasy sports when he’s not covering or watching a game.

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