Maryland draws NCAA Tournament No. 4 seed in West, will face No. 13 Grand Canyon

After a second-place regular season finish in the Big Ten, Maryland has earned a No. 4 seed, its highest since 2015, and will play No. 13 Grand Canyon in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

The Terrapins (25-8) are in the West Region and will play versus the Antelopes (26-7) on Friday in Seattle. It is Maryland’s first NCAA appearance in two seasons, returning to the tournament two years to the day since its last win in it, a 67-65 first round victory over West Virginia in 2023.

“A lot of guys had to sacrifice roles to come together, to put this team together in two weeks [in the offseason],” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said, “and for them to kind of come together and get back into the big dance, it’s exciting.”

In their 31st NCAA appearance, the Terrapins need two wins next weekend to advance to their first Sweet 16 since 2016. Maryland came tantalizingly close to its first ever Big Ten Tournament championship game appearance, but fell in heartbreaking fashion to Michigan, 81–80, on Saturday. 

“I haven’t slept yet, and it was hard just because it was the fourth one in a row, the way we’ve lost,” Willard said. “I’d almost rather get blown out, to be honest with you.”

Big Ten Freshman of the Year Derik Queen scored a career-high 31 points and led Maryland back from a 15-point second-half deficit, but the Terrapins allowed a coast-to-coast driving layup by Michigan’s Tre Donaldson in the final seconds to lose. The Wolverines won the conference title Sunday by beating Wisconsin, 59-53.

Maryland’s berth coincides with a yet-to-be-announced contract extension for coach Kevin Willard. Following his third season and the Terrapins’ best record in five seasons, his name was linked to the coaching vacancy at Villanova following the dismissal of Kyle Neptune on Saturday. First reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS, the new deal will make Willard one of the top 10 highest-paid coaches in the nation.

“Our focus right now is strictly the NCAA Tournament and this team,” Willard said, “but all I can say to that is that me and [Athletic Director] Damon [Evans] are on the same page, and we always have been.”