The Maryland men's basketball team entered March 12 knowing it was safely in the NCAA Tournament. It sat 32nd in RPI with five wins against top 50 teams and 14 wins against the top 100 teams, along with an 8-2 road record thanks to solid victories at venues like Minnesota, Michigan and Northwestern, all tournament squads.
But after 66 teams were announced on CBS's selection show as part of the NCAA Tournament's 68-team field, there was still no Maryland to be found. The tension rose at Terps head coach Mark Turgeon's home, where his team watched the selection show.
"My heart was coming through my sweater. You never know; there's no guarantees," Turgeon said at the Terps' media availability March 12. "But I [was] 99 percent sure we were in."
