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UPDATE: No. 1 Alabama thumped No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus-Christi in their first-round matchup. The Tide won 96-75 and will face Maryland on Saturday in the second round.
The No. 8 seed Maryland Terrapins came back to beat the No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers and is headed to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers dominated early, jumping out to a 19-6 lead. The Terps worked their way back and took a lead heading into halftime. The teams exchanged multiple leads in the second half, but Maryland took a lead with 3:44 to go and never gave it up. The Terps survived with a 67-65 win to advance.
2023 March Madness bracket
Who is No. 8 Maryland playing in second round?
The Terps will face the winner of Thursday’s matchup between No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders. Only once in men’s tournament history has a No. 16 upset a No. 1 seed. We’ll address both teams in this article, but it’s safe to say Maryland will be facing Alabama on Saturday.
Maryland has played Alabama five times dating back to 1984 and has played Texas A&M-CC a single time. The Terps are 3-2 all-time, winning the first two in December 1984 and December 1985, and again in the quarterfinals of the 2013 NIT. Maryland lost in the semifinals of that NIT. The Tide won in November 2011 and then again in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. That year, the No. 2 seed Tide lost to UCLA in the Sweet 16.
The Terps beat the Islanders 99-73 in their lone matchup in January 2006. Maryland was ranked No. 14 but finished the season 19-13 and lost to Manhattan in the first round of the NIT.