I held off on mention of this last week because it seemed just a little odd. Maryland had seven points in the AP poll, all coming from one voter.

This week, the Terrapins have 10 points, yet again all from the same voter --- the Roanoke Times' Mark Berman, who has Maryland at No. 16 on his ballot.

(You might recall I had Maryland at No. 39 this week during my rundown of the top 45 teams).

Anyway, a quick look at Berman's ballot reveals he loves him some ACC teams --- six in all in his top 25, including Maryland and Florida State. But there's also a results-oriented theme, with hyped teams such as Purdue, UCLA and Louisville all absent.

And make no question, Maryland does have a solid resume, with two victories over Big Ten teams and a pair of losses no one will think twice about as the season progresses.

In short, that kind of provides a little logic to the idea of ranking the Terps. Maybe not enough to change my opinion, but then again that's what league play is for in another month or so.

--- Patrick Stevens

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