The Maryland men’s basketball team remains No. 9 in the Associated Press poll released Feb. 10 after a 2-0 week that featured a win at Illinois.
Baylor (21-1) remains No. 1, followed by Gonzaga (25-1), Kansas (20-3), San Diego State (24-0) and Louisville (21-3). The Terps are the poll’s highest-ranked Big Ten team, followed by Penn State (No. 13), Iowa (No. 21) and Illinois (No. 22).
Maryland beat Rutgers, 56-51, Feb. 4 and Illinois, 75-66, Feb. 7, pushing the Terps to 19-4 overall and 9-3 overall. Against the Scarlet Knights, three Terps scored in double figures: senior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. (17 points), junior guard Darryl Morsell (14) and sophomore center Jalen Smith (14). Smith added 15 rebounds.
Maryland scored its biggest victory of the season at Illinois, which left the Terps by themselves in first place in the Big Ten. Maryland cut an early 14-point deficit to two by halftime and controlled the second half. Cowan scored 20 points; Morsell, 15; Smith, 11, and sophomore wing Aaron Wiggins, 10.
Next up for the Terps is a home date with Nebraska Feb. 11, followed by a road test at Michigan State Feb. 15. The Huskers (7-16 overall, 2-10 Big Ten) are led by sophomore guard Cam Mack (13.0 points, 6.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game). The Spartans (16-8, 8-5) have lost three in a row. They’re led by one of the top players in the country in senior guard Cassius Winston (18.6 points, 5.9 assists).
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