April 7, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland men's basketball team, fresh off the 2004 ACC Championship and an eighth-straight 20-win campaign, concluded the 2003-04 season with its eighth-consecutive Top 25 finish. The Terrapins were ranked 24th in the final vote of the head coaches in the USA Today/ESPN Poll, announced Tuesday.

The Terrapins have now earned a final Top 25 ranking each season since 1997. Maryland also finished 19th in the final AP Poll, released March 15.

In all, the Terrapins played 16 games against opponents ranked in the final AP and Coaches Top 25. Maryland posted seven victories on the season against ranked foes -- the most since the Terps' national championship run in 2002.

The Atlantic Coast Conference, cited in the RPI and Sagarin Ratings as the top league in the country all season long, placed a total of six schools in the final Coaches Top 25. The entire poll is listed below.

In addition to the Terps' postseason ranking, ESPN's first look at 2004-05 was published by Andy Katz -- who picked Maryland as the No. 8 squad headed into the new year. The college basketball analyst placed five ACC teams in the Top 10, and six in his Top 25.

ANDY KATZ'S 2004-05 TOP 25
1.  Kansas
2.  Duke
3.  Georgia Tech
4.  Wisconsin
5.  Illinois
6.  North Carolina
7.  Wake Forest
8.  MARYLAND
9.  Syracuse
10. Connecticut
11. Alabama
12. Mississippi State
13. Stanford
14. NC State
15. Notre Dame
16. Louisville
17. Cincinnati
18. Memphis
19. Oklahoma State
20. Arizona
21. Texas
22. St. Joseph's
23. Kentucky
24. Washington
25. Nevada

FINAL USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES POLL (April 6)
No.  School               Record     Points    Prev
1.   Connecticut          33-6       775       7
2.   Duke                 31-6       722       6
3.   Georgia Tech         28-10      721       15
4.   Oklahoma State       31-4       688       3
5.   St. Joseph's         30-2       644       5
6.   Stanford             30-2       553       1
7.   Pittsburgh           31-5       544       8
8.   Kentucky             27-5       522       4
9.   Kansas               24-9       465       14
10.  Texas                25-8       437       11
11.  Illinois             26-7       419       13
12.  Gonzaga              28-3       415       2
13.  Mississippi State    26-4       373       9
14.  Xavier               26-11      361       NR
15.  Wake Forest          21-10      357       16
16.  Wisconsin            25-7       334       10
17.  Alabama              20-13      248       NR
18.  Cincinnati           25-7       239       12
19.  Syracuse             23-8       218       24
20.  NC State             21-10      157       17
21.  Nevada               25-9       156       NR
22.  North Carolina       19-11      135       20
23.  Alabama-Birmingham   22-10      124       NR
24.  MARYLAND             20-12      119       21 
25.  Vanderbilt           23-10      102       NR 

Others Receiving Votes: Southern Illinois 37; Memphis 34; Providence 29; Arizona 28; Boston College 24; Texas Tech 23; Michigan 13; Utah State 12;DePaul 10; Pacific 7; Manhattan 6; Western Michigan 6; Seton Hall 5; Air Force 4; UCF 4; Michigan State 2; South Carolina 2; Louisiana-Lafayette 1.