Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. View his latest ballot here.
March will deliver much more sadness than madness in the D.C. area, with the two flagship men’s college basketball programs dealing with losing seasons for the third time in five years. This world of March misery is a recent phenomenon: Before 2022, the last time the Terps and Hoyas posted losing seasons the same year was 1968.
The two schools took opposite avenues to their conference cellars. While Maryland posted nine of its 15 Big Ten losses by 17 points or more, eight of Georgetown’s 14 Big East defeats were one or two-possession games. Lengthy stays are not expected next week in their conference tournaments. Here’s to both schools turning things around for a more memorable March 2027.
March is a magical month for multiple reasons: Daylight Saving Time, Shamrock Shakes, conference tournaments and the Big Dance, plus the arrival of Girl Scout Cookies. We continue our recent tradition at WTOP of ranking the flavors. Descriptions are from the Girl Scouts of America website and, as always, these rankings are completely subjective and 100% accurate.
No. 9 — Lemon-Ups: “Crispy lemon-flavored cookies with inspiring messages to lift your spirits.” I’d trade out the messages for frosting, which like rebounding, always makes a difference in March.
No. 8 — Trefoils: “Iconic shortbread cookies inspired by the original Girl Scout recipe.” Like Indiana, a former blue blood that’s irrelevant. But they’re fundamentally sound.
No. 7 — Toffee-tastic: “Rich, buttery cookies made with sweet, crunchy toffee bits.” They’re gluten-free, but not turnover-free (crumbs everywhere!). And that beats you in March.
No. 6 — Exploremores: “Rocky road ice cream-inspired cookies filled with flavors of chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted almond creme.” This year’s “Cookie Rookie” — and it’s tough to advance in your first trip to the dance. Exploremores? I’m eating less.
No. 5 — Adventurefuls: “Indulgent brownie-inspired cookies with caramel flavored creme and a hint of sea salt.” Again, I think it’s more of a strong suggestion than a hint. And last year’s champ will learn how tough it is to repeat in the modern era.
No. 4 — Do-Si-Do’s: “Oatmeal sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling.” Physical cookie that only advances with a large glass of milk.
No. 3 — Tagalongs: “Crunchy vanilla cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolate coating.” Outstanding combination comes at your taste buds from all over the court.
No. 2 — Thin Mints: “Crisp, chocolaty cookies made with natural oil of peppermint.” The run-and-gun of cookies, as one can tear through a sleeve at a fast-break pace without a second thought.
No. 1 — Samoas: “Crisp cookies with caramel, coconut, and dark chocolaty stripes.” Called “Caramel deLites” in some markets, which teaches kids the incorrect spelling of the word “delight.” Other than that, this heavily involved cookie brings the goods and wins for the first time, delivering one dining moment.
Starting five
Up top: Duke was my No. 1 team again this week after smashing then-No. 11 Virginia, as the Blue Devils repeat as ACC regular season champs for the first time since 2000. Michigan, Arizona, UConn and Florida round out my top five and there feels like a chasm between that group and the next tier.
The biggest variances on my ballot: I have No. 18 St. John’s 10th on my ballot while voting No. 12 Gonzaga 18th. Toughest omissions: Missouri, Clemson, VCU and Akron. Small school shout-outs: Saint Mary’s, Saint Louis, High Point and Navy.
Going inside: George Washington (17-13, 8-9 Atlantic 10) has been on other side of the cookie crumbling all season. “The unluckiest team in Division I,” according to kenpom.com (yes, there’s a metric for that), the Revolutionaries have gone 1-6 in conference games decided by six points or fewer (0-4 in one-possession games). But on senior night in overtime, the Revolutionaries hit 6-7 shots while holding St. Bonaventure to 2-9 from the field and prevailing 91-82.
Rafael Castro’s lucky 13 points pushed the senior past the 1,000 point mark as well. GW takes the No. 7 seed in the A-10 Tournament with a win at Loyola Chicago on Saturday plus a Duquesne loss, while slipping to No. 9 with a loss plus a Fordham win.
Perimeter pass: Virginia (26-4, 14-3 ACC) remains on track to earn a top four seed if one believes in all the models. Virginia Tech (19-11, 8-9) remains squarely on the bubble. Saturday, the Hokies stop by Charlottesville looking for their first regular season sweep of U.Va. since 2010, after winning the Dec. 31 meeting in overtime.
That day the Hokies turned the Cavaliers over 17 times while holding them to 22% from 3-point range. A repeat performance would go a long way to getting coach Mike Young’s team on the right side of the cut line.
Who’s open: Conference tournament play comes to D.C. this weekend as the CAA Tournament tips off Friday at CareFirst Arena with the infamous first round that pits No. 12 North Carolina A&T against Northeastern. The regular season champ UNCW won the tournament last year and No. 2 seed Charleston took the automatic NCAA bid the previous two seasons.
Nearby Towson (17-14, 9-9) hasn’t reached the CAA finals — let alone won the conference tournament — since joining the league in 2001. The Tigers face Hampton on Saturday in the second round and split the regular season series with the Pirates, dropping the Dec. 31 game by one while winning the Jan. 31 rematch by 32.
Last shot: Saturday at 2 p.m., George Mason (22-8, 10-7 Atlantic 10) wraps up its regular season by hosting No. 25 Saint Louis, led by 6-foot-10-inch force of nature Robbie Avila. The legend labeled “Cream Abdul-Jabbar,” “Steph Blurry” and “Larry Nerd” is heating up in the late season, averaging 17 points with five rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 56% from the field and 52% from 3-point range.
And the Billikens are more than just Avila, leading the Atlantic 10 in scoring, shooting, 3-point percentage, rebounding margin and defending the 3. I’ll see you courtside.
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