Casual college basketball fans may not be familiar with the “Crab Five,” but Maryland fans sure are.
The Terrapins are back in the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed following a 25-8 season, and Maryland has a chance to make a run thanks to a strong starting lineup. While freshman Derik Queen is the headliner, all five starters had strong season to carry a team whose bench is lighter than most.
Every great unit needs a nickname, which is why this starting five adopted the “Crab Five” moniker. But who came up with the name in the first place? Here’s a breakdown of the name’s origin.
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Maryland’s Crab Five nickname, explained
Maryland’s basketball team is powered by its starting lineup, as its five-man unit is one of the most effective unit in the country this year. That group includes Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Selton Miguel, Julian Reese and Derik Queen.
With such a strong lineup, players were looking for a nickname to reflect their success. Enter one anonymous social media user, who came up with the name the “Crab Five.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…
The Crab Five 🦀🏀 https://t.co/JKB3XWybED
— Liam (@LimNeeson) February 14, 2025
The name is a clever play on an iconic college basketball team with some Maryland flare.
The base of the name is from the “Fab Five,” Michigan’s famous lineup from the 1990s that included Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard. However, instead of the word “Fab,” this person replaced it with the word “Crab,” an homage to the state of Maryland’s love of all things crab.
The Terrapins’ starting five earned a nickname with its dominance on the season. No starting lineup in the country scored more points or had more games where each player scored double-digit points this season.
Setting the standard. 🦀 pic.twitter.com/HVgqySxlDq
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) March 10, 2025
Therefore, the nickname “Crab Five” has stuck, as the program, players and fans have all embraced the unique nickname. Earlier in the season, Maryland even gave out “Crab Five” T-shirts, with some promotional help from Scott Van Pelt.
When our University talks “Maryland Pride” – KP and I always wear it on our sleeves. Along with @TerrapinHoops we want to show a little love to the next wave of students so that they can, too. Next Saturday let’s run it back one last time and send this team out correctly. pic.twitter.com/QYKDuxe8kE
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) February 28, 2025
Gary Williams with the Crab Five shirt. pic.twitter.com/sXii3ldR0E
— Ricky Podgorski (@R_Pods) March 8, 2025
It even made its way to CBS on Selection Sunday.
🗣️ “The Crab Five, the highest scoring starting five in the country!” 🦀5️⃣
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/xKxVZw1luB
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) March 16, 2025
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Maryland starting five stats
| Player | Games Started | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
| Ja’Kobi Gillespie | 33 | 31.4 | 14.7 | 3.2 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 45.8% | 41.2% | 86.4% |
| Selton Miguel | 33 | 28.3 | 12.0 | 1,6 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 43.8% | 41.6% | 77.6% |
| Rodney Rice | 29 | 30.7 | 13.9 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 44.7% | 37.6% | 80.0% |
| Julian Reese | 33 | 28.2 | 13.1 | 9.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 55.2% | N/A | 74.2% |
| Derik Queen | 33 | 30.1 | 16.3 | 9.0 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 52.9% | 14.3% | 76.8% |
These five players have all played in every game this year, with the starting lineup being in tact for 29 of the 33 games. Only Rice, who came off the bench for four games earlier in the year, didn’t start every game during the season.
Additionally, all five players have averaged 28 minutes per game, as Deshawn Harris-Smith is sixth on the team with 15.3, the only other player with over 11 minutes per game.