COLLEGE PARK — They knew they were NCAA Tournament-bound.

But that didn’t mean the joy radiated any less from players’ faces after the news became official Sunday evening for Kevin Willard and his Maryland men’s basketball team.

“I’m looking at all these guys, and [freshman superstar] Derik Queen was like a fat kid in a chocolate factory he was so giddy and excited,” Willard said. “Their excitement — I’m going to really bottle that up. … But we’ve got a little bit of an edge to us too. We’ve got something to prove.”

After spending last March watching the tournament from home, the Terps earned the No. 4 seed in the West Region and will open March Madness against No. 13 seed Grand Canyon at 4:35 p.m. on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

“I said I was extremely proud of them, to come together in this era, with the [transfer] portal,” Willard said of his message after the bracket was announced. “And I told them to enjoy it. When you’re an at-large team, you’re pretty much saying you’ve had one of the 30 best seasons in college basketball and that you’re a really good basketball team. I told them to enjoy it and get ready to get to work tomorrow.”

Senior power forward Julian Reese felt the pain of emptiness of missing the tournament 12 months ago after the Terps made it in Willard’s first season.

“It’s kind of a sense of relief to see your name go across the board,” Reese said. “A sense of confidence as well, to be such a high seed at No. 4.”

The Terps (25-8, 14-6 Big Ten) enter the tournament playing some of their best basketball of the season. They won 13 of their final 16 regular-season conference games, including seven of their last eight. Willard’s team just concluded a march to the semifinals in the Big Ten Tournament.

They woke up Sunday still licking their wounds from Saturday’s last-second loss to Michigan, which Willard said probably knocked Maryland out of contention for a No. 3 seed. But he said that disappointment was flushed by the time the NCAA bracket was revealed.

“I’d almost rather get blown out, to be honest with you,” he reflected. “But as my wife said, ‘You’ve got to be ready to be excited about the second season.’ Five o’clock hit and I let it go. I’m super excited now. I’m excited about this team. I’m excited about going out west.”

That long trip was the one rub in the good news the Terps celebrated Sunday evening, but no one seemed too concerned. The team already traveled to the Pacific Northwest in Big Ten play, though they lost both games to Oregon and Washington.

“We’ve traveled out there,” Willard said. “This is nothing new. This is nothing we have to adjust to. The guys are excited about it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said graduate student small forward Selton Miguel, who had waited five years to play on college basketball’s brightest stage. “I just don’t like planes.”

Baltimore native Queen paced the Terps’ elite starting five this year, averaging 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game during the regular season. The 6-foot-10 center shot 52.6% from the field and a solid 75.8% from the free-throw line.

Queen wasn’t without help. Maryland seldom leans on its bench for significant scoring, but that’s because of the effectiveness of the Terps’ starters. The starting unit, affectionately dubbed the “Crab Five” by fans, includes guards Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Miguel, and big men Reese and Queen. The group all averaged at least 12 points per game during the regular season.

Given the team’s success, there’s optimism the program can make its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2016.

The Terps will start their dance against a tournament-tested foe. Grand Canyon has made the field each of the past three years under coach Bryce Drew.

“Bryce is a heck of a coach,” Willard said. “They play fast. They’ve been there before.”

If Maryland advances past Grand Canyon, the Terps will face the winner of No. 5 seed Memphis and No. 12 seed Colorado State on Sunday. A potential Sweet 16 meeting with No. 1 seed Florida could await Maryland if it wins both games this weekend. No. 2 seed St. John’s, the Big East Tournament champion, and No. 3 Texas Tech, which went 15-5 in the Big 12, are the top teams on the other side of the West Region.

Baltimore Sun sports editor Bennett Conlin contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker.