The real season begins Sunday for the Maryland women’s basketball team.
The Terrapins will be judged not by their 27-5 regular-season, two ACC record crowds and players on virtually every all-star team. The defending national champions must return to the Final Four for the season to be considered a success. Anything less will be remembered as failure given five returning starters.
But here’s the rub for Maryland as it opens against Harvard: The Terps are exactly where they were a year ago — a No. 2 seed and third-best ACC team. Maybe it’s a sign of another title run, but Maryland went 0-4 versus No. 1 Duke and No. 2 North Carolina this season.
Heavy were the heads that wore the crown … at times.
“With that target, you have it on your back each and every day,” Terps coach Brenda Frese said. “At times, we’ve embraced it and it’s been a positive thing and played with a lot of confidence. At times, we’ve let it be a burden on us.”
The tournament seems like a five-team race involving Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut and Tennessee. The other teams were used to getting the opponent’s best game. The Terps survived a few scares by lightweights. Maybe it hardened them for another title run.
“A lot of teams are playing their best games against us,” Terps forward Crystal Langhorne said. “Everybody was really hyped up to play us. I think we’re now more adjusted to that play.”
The Terps landed in the tournament’s toughest regional. Tennessee, Maryland, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Middle Tennessee, respectively, are a murderous top five. Maryland must probably beat Oklahoma in the third round and Tennessee in the Dayton region final to reach the Final Four. They could meet North Carolina in the national semifinal and Duke in the final — just like last year.
Fortunately, the Terps are used to pressure. Thirteen TV games, a weekly reality show and three crowds of more than 13,000 have made the entire season seem like the tournament. The simple question is whether Maryland is good enough to outlast the elite teams once more?
“If we start playing at that level,” Frese said, “which I know we’re capable of, I’ve seen it, then great things are going to happen to this team.”
Actually, they already have.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
