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NCAA Basketball: Most overrated, underrated teams in 2019-20 preseason AP poll

By Brian Rauf

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 21: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at VyStar Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 21: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at VyStar Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Overrated: Maryland

Maybe it’s me remembering the 2015-16 season when the Terps never came close to living up to their preseason No. 3 ranking, or maybe it’s the fact that last year was the first Maryland exceeded expectations under Mark Turgeon, but seeing this group at No. 7 raises all kinds of concerns from me.

I understand why there’s hype in College Park. They return seven of their top eight players from a 23-11 team last year, including senior point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. and former five-star big man Jalen Smith, who opted to come back for his sophomore campaign. In a year when there aren’t many teams in a clear top-tier, it’s logical to think that experience could play a big role.

At the same time, there are a lot of things Maryland needs to improve upon if they’re going to take a step forward from last season, let alone be in the top 10 nationally.

The Terrapins ranked 234th in the country in turnover rate last season and, normally, you’d think having a senior point guard who has played a significant role all four years would help that. While Cowan’s individual turnover rate has decreased slightly each season, his 18.6 percent rating is still high in comparison to other point guards of similar nature.

Maryland didn’t also force many turnovers – they were in the bottom five in the country in that category – and ranked 325th in generating steals. As a mediocre shooting team, they hung their hat on their ability to rebound. Losing Bruno Fernando to the NBA is a significant blow in that department and, while Smith is great and should pick up a portion of the slack, no one else seems ready to fill that void.

I fully expect Maryland to improve on that 23-11 record from a year ago, but I also don’t expect them to come close to being ranked in the top 10 or even the top 15. There are simply too many areas they’ll need to improve greatly in to get there.

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