Maryland Ranked No. 3 in Associated Press Preseason Poll

Melo Trimble and Jake Layman

By Mark Bacon

Maryland will begin the 2015-2016 season ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press preseasons top 25 poll, which was released this afternoon. North Carolina and Kentucky are ranked ahead of the Terrapins, who are the favorite to win the Big Ten and contend for a national championship after a transformative offseason.

The preseason ranking is the highest for Maryland since 2001-02, when the Terps began the year ranked No. 2 coming off their first Final Four appearance and eventually went on to win the school’s first national championship. Maryland climbed to No. 8 at one point late last season and finished No. 12 in the final rankings after a 28-win campaign and the school’s first NCAA tournament appearance in five years.

Maryland’s offseason was seismic. Sophomore guard Melo Trimble and senior forward Jake Layman decided to return to school after nearly entering the NBA draft. The Terps added blue-chip center recruit Diamond Stone and Duke transfer Rasheed Sulaimon to the fold. Along with junior power forward Robert Carter Jr., a transfer from Georgia Tech who is now eligible after sitting out last season due to NCAA rules, Maryland now has five players who’ve been mentioned as possible NBA draft picks.

The combination of new talent and depth has raised expectations (and adulation) over the past six months, and Maryland was considered a strong contender to enter the season as the AP’s top team. Monday marked Maryland’s 374th appearance in the poll, although it has never been ranked No. 1.

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