If you clicked on that post title expecting a definitive analysis of how Maryland's NCAA tournament chances, are tied to tomorrow's game against No. 4 Duke you've violated one of college basketball's Ten Commandments:

Thou shalt not seriously attempt to discern the meaning of a single game before February.

(I have no clue what the other nine commandments are, but there's always the chance to make them up on the fly. Isn't that what Charlton Heston did?)

Back on point. It's too early. Still. There are at least 13 games to be played out of anywhere from 32 to 35 games on the schedule (depending on the ACC tournament). By deploying knowledge and skills attained in the Harford County Public Schools and later enhanced in College Park, I can comfortably say that's more than a third of the schedule.

What is unsettling is how Maryland's losses to Ohio and American remain clumped together. Does anyone else realize Ohio is a top-50 RPI team for now and barring an utter collapse will probably be a top-100 team at season's end?

According to collegerpi.com, Maryland's losses have come against Nos. 10, 36, 64, 69, 87, 95 and 145. The computer says Ohio is the second-best team the Terps have lost to.

The numbers aren't overwhelming. Maryland is 1-1 against the top 25, 1-2 against the top 50 and 4-6 against the top 100. It's not a great postseason resume, but it certainly is not so lacking that any game in January can be dubbed a must-win.

A victory over Duke will look very good on Selection Sunday. But unless there is an extended winning or losing streak, it's tough to foresee any absolutes about the Terps (be it for the significance of a single game or the outlook of their postseason prospects) for at least another half-dozen games.

So maybe it will be possible to make an informed declaration of the Terps' NCAA hopes after they play Duke --- the next time, anyway.

--- Patrick Stevens