AP All-Time Top 100: Maryland tops the list of never No. 1s

FILE - In this combination of three file photos shows, from left, Maryland head coach Gary Williams cannot believe his ears as the referee calls a foul on one of his Maryland players during ACC basketball action on Jan. 29, 1997 in Tallahassee, Fla., Williams swings the net after his Terps beat Indiana 64-52 in the NCAA final on April 1, 2002 in Atlanta, and Williams, right, yells at his team in the first half against Boston College during a quarterfinal Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament game on March 10, 2006, in Greensboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Files) FILE - In this combination of three file photos shows, from left, Maryland head coach Gary Williams cannot believe his ears as the referee calls a foul on one of his Maryland players during ACC basketball action on Jan. 29, 1997 in Tallahassee, Fla., Williams swings the net after his Terps beat Indiana 64-52 in the NCAA final on April 1, 2002 in Atlanta, and Williams, right, yells at his team in the first half against Boston College during a quarterfinal Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament game on March 10, 2006, in Greensboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Files)

By Associated Press March 30, 2017 4 min read

PHOENIX (AP) – Gary Williams had great players and great teams during his tenure at Maryland, even won a national championship.

The one thing missing from the Terps’ resume: A No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25.

Through 68 years and more than 1,100 polls, Maryland was never once the top-ranked team in the country – and that’s just fine by its former coach.

“We were No. 1 after the national championship, but nobody votes after that,” Williams said. “If you win the national championship, you’re the best team in the country.”

The Associated Press has been ranking the best teams in college basketball since 1949, with 59 teams earning a No. 1 ranking, starting with Saint Louis in the inaugural poll.