COLLEGE PARK, Md. — After spending much of the college basketball season ranked in the top 10, Maryland defeated a pair of lower-seeded teams last week to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
On Thursday against Kansas, the overall top seed in the tournament, coach Mark Turgeon's team will be cast in a different role: underdog.
The Terrapins (27-8) beat No. 12 seed South Dakota State and 13th-seeded Hawaii to earn a spot in the round of 16 for the first time in 13 years. That provided Maryland a date with the Big 12 champion Jayhawks (32-4), who will bring a 16-game winning streak into the matchup in Louisville, Kentucky.