On paper, Sunday?s game between Maryland and Harvard in the first round of the NCAA women?s basketball tournament should not be close.
Maryland (27-5) is the defending national champion and the No. 2 seed in the Dayton Region. Harvard (15-12) is the 15th seed and started the year 3-12 before winning 12 straight and capturing the Ivy League title.
But as the teams prepare for a 2:30 p.m. tip-off at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn., the one thing Harvard has on it side is history. In 1998, Harvard scored a 71-67 first-round victory over Stanford, marking the only time a No. 16 seed has beaten a No. 1 seed in either the men?s or women?s tournaments.
While those 1998 players are long gone, the team is still coached by Kathy Delaney-Smith, who is 382-275 in 25 seasons at the school. The Crimson have made five NCAA tournament appearances, but none since 2003.
Maryland is aware of Harvard?s history-making moment.
“We?re ready to get back on the court and see our hard work pay off,” Maryland sophomore guard Marissa Coleman said. “We?re excited about playing in the tournament. Coach [Brenda] Frese reminded us about what Harvard did to Stanford. We?re not going to take them lightly. We?re looking to make a statement against them and set the tone for the rest of the tournament.”
Like Maryland, Harvard is a young team with a roster that includes five sophomores and just two seniors. Sophomore guard Emily Tay leads the Crimson in scoring (12.8 points per game), total assists (139) and total steals (62). Harvard has not lost since Jan. 26, but the Crimson is 0-5 against tournament teams this year, having lost to East Carolina, Holy Cross, Brigham Young, California and Marist.
By comparison, Maryland faced 12 of the 64 teams in the tournament during the regular season. The Terps are 10-5 against those teams, including 4-0 against teams in their region.
“They?re on a 12-game winning streak and are a dangerous team to play in the first round,” Frese said. “We need to make sure to be ready to play basketball for 40 minutes.”
No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 15 Harvard
» When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday
» Where: Hartford, Conn.
» TV: ESPN
