Maryland entered the weekend ranked No. 3 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings even though the Terrapins had just been OK, at best, through the first seven games of the season. When I was asked to explain the ranking on Saturday, I acknowledged it was, more than anything else, a byproduct of Maryland being ranked No. 6 in the preseason Top 25 And 1. In other words, the Terrapins started at No. 6 and inched up to No. 3 by remaining undefeated while preseason No. 1 (Michigan State), preseason No. 2 (Duke) and preseason No. 3 (Kentucky) all lost as double-digit favorites.

Simple as that.

Either way, Maryland finally looked the part on Sunday while beating Marquette 84-63 to win the Orlando Invitational. The Terrapins were great from start to finish against a quality opponent for the first time all season — and now they’re 8-0 with a 21-point victory over a Marquette team that’s 31st at KenPom. So Mark Turgeon’s team will remain No. 3 in Monday morning’s updated Top 25 And 1 and probably still be there when Maryland hosts Notre Dame on Wednesday night in the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Louisville is No. 1 for the sixth straight morning.

The Cardinals will host Michigan, which is No. 5 in the Top 25 And 1, on Tuesday night in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Both teams will enter with 7-0 records. And if Juwan Howard’s Wolverines can pull an upset for the third consecutive game, I promise, they will move to No. 1 in Wednesday morning’s Top 25 And 1.

Monday’s Top 25 And 1