The AP and ESPN/coaches preseason polls are both out. Maryland tops the “other schools receiving votes” category in each, meaning they’re the consensus #26 team heading into the season.

Most teams and coaches go to great lengths to make clear how little these polls mean to them. Methink they doth protest too much, in fact. And that’s another reason why Gary Williams is so great. He tracks the polls and he’s not afraid to show it. Gary is also delightfully shameless when it comes to playing the “no one respects us” card with his players. This ranking serves up that option on a silver platter for the Terps, while at the same time quietly placating Gary. At least a little. In other words, he can play the “no one respects us” card without having to worry about whether it’s actually true. I likey.