Welcome to The Diamondback Sports Digest, your weekly all-access pass to everything Maryland athletics.

There’s a No. 1-ranked team playing in College Park. Maryland’s men’s soccer earned the top spot in college soccer on Tuesday after a slow climb over the past two months.

It’s the Terps’ first time atop the rankings since August 2019. With one more regular season match ahead of postseason play, Maryland will gear up for a deep NCAA tournament run and push to win its first national title since 2018.

Our pick of the week

Despite Maryland football entering last Saturday’s game against Indiana on a three-game losing streak, SECU Stadium was an announced sellout.

The student section was arguably the loudest it’s been all season. When the Terps fell behind 20-3 late in the first half, coach Michael Locksley probably wished that wasn’t the case.

A “Fire Locksley!” chant broke out, and the Terps went on to lose, 55-10. Asked about the calls for his job on Tuesday, Locksley played it off and said “that’s not going to move me.”

“I would have probably chanted it, too, if I had a few beers and we played the way we played,” he said. “I’ve been through worse.”

But fans appear to be growing restless. Sports editor and football reporter Michael Howes spoke to a handful as they left the stadium on Saturday, and they weren’t happy campers.

“It just sucks to watch us play,” junior computer science major Justin McKendry said. “We should be a better program than this.”

“I’m not seeing a lot of hope right now,” said Larry Sefcik, a 1981 graduate of this university.

The Terps have four games remaining, needing two wins to reach bowl eligibility. They play Rutgers on Saturday, and desperately need a win to restore hope.

The highlight reel

Ahead of his return to Xfinity Center this Friday, I spoke to Georgetown and former Maryland men’s basketball guard DeShawn Harris-Smith. He opened up about the good, the bad and the ugly during his two seasons in College Park.

Deputy sports editor and football reporter Jake Kauderer sat down with defensive lineman Cam Rice, one of Maryland football’s biggest film junkies, to run through some tape.

Maryland men’s and women’s basketball each comfortably secured wins to open their seasons on Monday.

Maryland wrestling is testing its Big Ten staying power after a gradual climb over the last decade. The Terps started off their season strong.

What can men’s basketball fans expect in Buzz Williams’ first season? Ben Geffner and I answered that and more in a preseason mailbag.

Stat of the week

Maryland and Georgetown men’s basketball played most seasons between 1935 and 1980. The rivalry has renewed sporadically since, but the teams will re-ignite it Friday at Xfinity Center.

The teams will trade home games through 2028, marking the first time they’ll play each other four years in a row since 1977-1980. Maryland leads the all-time series, 38-27.

Up next

🏀 Women’s basketball is playing UMBC at home on Thursday at 6 p.m., while the men face off against Georgetown at home on Friday at 6 p.m.
⚽ Men’s soccer’s regular-season finale is Friday against Michigan State at 8 p.m.
🏈 Football plays Rutgers away on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.