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Penn State hands No. 21 Maryland its second straight loss

Maryland v North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 01: Melo Trimble #2 of the Maryland Terrapins reacts after making a three-point shot against the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 1, 2015 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 89-81. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

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Penn State freshman swingman Lamar Stevens nearly matched his career high in points with a 25-point effort as the Nittany Lions upset No. 21 Maryland on Tuesday night, handing the Terrapins a second consecutive loss.

Up until four days ago, Maryland had won seven straight and 13 of 14, but has now lost two in a row and will likely be bounced from the rankings come Monday morning.

Tuesday night’s result is the latest reason why the Terps are such a mystery as we inch closer and closer to Selection Sunday.

As mentioned above, Maryland recently won 13 of 14, the best of those wins at Michigan and Minnesota. Those rank among the Terps’ other top wins: a neutral floor victory over Kansas State and win at home against Oklahoma State. That gives them a 3-1 record against the RPI top-50 (all five of these wins are against teams ranked in kenpom’s top 50). But look at NBC Sports’ latest bracket projections. The highest projected seed they’ve beaten is Oklahoma State (currently slotted as a No. 9 seed).

This isn’t a long-winded way of saying Maryland is a fraud. They have one of the best closers in college basketball in Melo Trimble. As we’ve seen before, an experienced lead guard is capable of incredible impact in March. They just don’t have a resume that’d make me fell confident writing their name deep into the NCAA Tournament in my bracket.

Again, Trimble is a stud. But what if he isn’t on? Like say, Tuesday night when he scored only 11 points off 13 shots (31 percent shooting). That’s only compounded by what maybe be Maryland’s biggest plague: a lack of help the All-American-caliber player has received from the supporting cast this season.

Maryland entered this week with questions surrounding its team. Tonight’s result -- it’s second defeat in four days -- hasn’t helped answer them.