It remains a mystery whether Maryland basketball's remarkable start will earn them a place in the AP Poll next week. This could hinge on how the Terps perform against No. 8 Purdue on Sunday. However, they have indeed secured a spot in one set of college basketball rankings.

CBSSports' New Power Rankings: Maryland at No. 2

Maryland has emerged as the No. 2 team in CBSSports' new power rankings released on Thursday. This might seem astonishing for a team that wasn't even in the national top 25. The reason behind this is simple - these rankings are based strictly on recent results. Kyle Boone from CBSSports explains: "Ranking teams with an emphasis on recent performance based on their level of competition. These are heavily unscientific in nature and can be distilled down to a 'vibes' ranking — with things like margin of victory, injuries, performance vs. top competition, momentum and other sometimes subjective factors weighing into the equation. The power rankings can be thought of in a weekly setting as a reaction — or sometimes even an overreaction — to the small sample of the week that was."Maryland has won five consecutive games after their lone loss to Marquette, with four of those wins by at least 24 points. They have steadily climbed to No. 19 on KenPom. The significant jump came after their thrashing of Ohio State on Wednesday. The final score was 83 - 59, but at halftime, the Terps led 50 - 17, marking the largest halftime lead in any Big Ten game since 1996 - 1997. This led coach Kevin Willard to make a surprising declaration about freshman star Derik Queen.Via Boone: "Maryland, the No. 2 team in scoring margin ahead of Tennessee, also gets a big bump up to No. 2 in this week's Power Rankings after being unranked a week ago. A loss in mid-November to Marquette at home cost it some early-season style points, but the Terrapins have rallied the last few weeks culminating with a stunning 83 - 59 smackdown of Ohio State on Wednesday night. At one point in the second half, they led by 40 points before Kevin Willard's club called off the dogs and cruised to a 24 - point win."If Maryland enters the AP Poll, it would end a drought for the program. They haven't been in the AP Poll since February 2023. Last year was a challenging start, and they never made it into the poll. The previous season, they climbed as high as No. 13 thanks to an 8 - 0 start in Willard's first year but fell out in December, and that February appearance was the only other time they were ranked.Boone wrote: "Vibes are very high in College Park right now for the Terps after thoroughly dismantling an Ohio State team on Wednesday that has the makings of an NCAA Tournament team. They've aced several tests this season already and are winning with an elite defense and a top - three freshman in Derik Queen."Before you go …— Not a VIP member? Save 50% on your annual subscription with this limited - time deal and stop missing out on the scoop!— Save $20 on your SeatGeek purchase of tickets to Maryland games or any major events with code “IMS” at checkout!— Get the latest Terps news delivered to your inbox FREE! Sign up for our email newsletter here and stay informed on Maryland basketball, football, recruiting and every other Terps storyline.— Support Maryland basketball’s recruiting and player - retention efforts by joining TurtleNIL!— Follow IMS on Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok and Instagram.— Don’t miss any of our new video Terps content: Subscribe to InsideMDSports on YouTube and hit the notification bell so you know when new videos drop.