A month ago, the Maryland women’s basketball team appeared in perfect position to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Today, No. 6 Maryland is in a fight with six other schools battling for one of the top four seeds in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Securing one of those spots guarantees an opening-round bye in the four-day tournament, which will be played March 1-4 in Greensboro, N.C.
Virginia Tech (16-9, 5-4), one of those teams in the mix, looks to make things even more interesting in the league when it plays at Maryland (22-3, 6-3) tonight at the Comcast Center. The Hokies have won five of their last six games, including a 73-68 victory Monday over Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets upset the Terps, 77-72, last Thursday.
Maryland coach Brenda Frese said the Georgia Tech loss gave the Terps the wake-up call they needed as they prepare to defend their national championship. The Terps enter tonight?s game following a 71-39 rout of Boston College (11-12, 1-8) Sunday.
“I’ve really liked how we’ve worked in practice this week,” Frese said. “I’ve been especially pleased with our commitment on the defensive end. Getting that extra day of rest in the conference tournament is so vital that time of year. Winning three games in three days is very hard, but having to win four games in four days is even more difficult.”
Virginia Tech enters tonight?s game tied with Georgia Tech for fifth place in the ACC, one game behind Maryland and N.C. State. Top-ranked Duke (24-0, 9-0) goes into tonight’s game at No. 2 North Carolina (24-0, 8-0) atop the conference standings.
Senior guard Kirby Copeland leads a group of three Virginia Tech players who score in double figures. The 5-foot-10 Morrow, Ga., native averages 15.6 points and 4.5 assists per game for the Hokies. Senior center Nare Diawara averages 12.2 points and 8.3 rebounds, while Britany Anderson contributes 10.1 points and 4.1 rebounds.
“One of the main reasons I came to Maryland was because of the competition in the ACC, which is the best in the country for women?s basketball,” Maryland forward Marissa Coleman said. “Every game is a battle here, which is something Georgia Tech showed us last week and what Virginia Tech showed Georgia Tech this week.”
MARYLAND/VA. TECH NOTES
» Virginia Tech leads the overall series against Maryland, 5-2. However, the Terps won their last meeting, 68-62, on Jan. 23, 2006 in Blacksburg, Va.
» Maryland is currently averaging 85.1 points per game compared to 65.8 for Virginia Tech.
» Maryland junior forward Crystal Langhorne leads the nation with a 72.9 field goal percentage. She also leads Maryland in scoring (14.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.6).
