The Maryland women’s basketball team has waited for this moment all season.
Now, the Terps know their path toward winning a second straight NCAA championship. Maryland (27-5), the second seed in the Dayton region, faces 15th-seeded Harvard (15-12) at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn., at approximately 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Harvard made the tournament as the automatic qualifier from the Ivy League.
If Maryland makes it to the second round, it would face either seventh-seeded Mississippi (21-10) or 10th-seeded Texas Christian (21-10). The Terps beat Mississippi, 110-79, on Nov. 25 and TCU, 82-64, on Nov. 17.
Terps coach Brenda Frese said she’s excited about finally knowing who her next opponent will be after not playing since a 78-72 loss to North Carolina in the ACC semifinals.
“We’re very happy about it,” Frese said of Maryland?s No. 2 seed. “We know what we were able to do last year. Twice would be nice. We understand how difficult itis going to be, but I’m confident. I believe in this team, and I know that in any match-up that we have, we’re going to go out and give it our best shot.”
This year marks Maryland’s 16th NCAA tournament appearance and second straight as a No. 2 seed. The Terps won the national championship in the same position last season when they defeated top-seeded Duke, 78-75, in overtime. The 13-point deficit Maryland overcame in that game tied the record for the second-largest comeback in NCAA title game history.
Despite that win, Maryland enters the tournament with something to prove. Of Maryland’s five losses this season, four came against Duke (30-1) and North Carolina (30-3), which are the top seeds in the Greensboro and Dallas regions, respectively.
“We all agree that we don’t have that big win like we did last year,” Maryland sophomore guard Marissa Coleman said. “We weren’t able to beat Duke or North Carolina, but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s a new season, and it’s tournament time. We’ve been practicing hard, and we’re ready to get back on the court.”
MARYLAND NOTES
» Maryland is competing in the Dayton Region, which is arguably the toughest of the four regions. It includes top-seeded Tennessee (28-3), third-seeded Oklahoma (26-4) and fourth-seeded Ohio State (28-3). Those teams and Maryland are all ranked in the top eight of the Ratings Percentage Index.
