With their nonconference slate complete, Maryland enters Big Ten play Saturday.
In the nine full seasons since leaving the ACC, Maryland has won or shared six regular season conference titles and won four of six appearances in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
Maryland’s failure to win the last two conference championships — by the standards set under head coach John Tillman, a drought — opened the door for another challenger.
And yet few people would have expected Michigan to take up the mantle — the Wolverines came from nowhere to win their first-ever trophy in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament before defending it again last year.