Not knowing until Monday which team it will play in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the seventh-ranked Maryland women?s basketball team can spend this week concentrating on itself.
Defense and taking care of the basketball are two areas the Terps have been working on in practice this week as they prepare to defend their national title. Junior forward Crystal Langhorne said Maryland (27-5) has waited all season to get to this point and that the team is not discouraged about losing to No. 3 North Carolina, 78-72, last Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals.
“We?re putting the past behind us because we know how hard it is to win another national title,” Langhorne said. “We?re really excited right now, and it shows in practice.”
Maryland coach Brenda Frese said she is obviously disappointed about not winning the ACC tournament title, one of her top goals in the preseason. However, she still is pleased with where her team is right now. The Terps played much better against North Carolina last week compared to their 84-71 loss to the Tar Heels in January.
“Anything can happen in the tournament,” Frese said. “We need to continue to get better because we know we can play with any team in the country, especially if you get them on a completely neutral court.”
Langhorne added that despite Maryland?s status as defending national champions, the Terps are entering the tournament with a lot to prove. Four of the Terps? five losses this year came against top-ranked Duke and North Carolina.
“Last year, we thought we were going to be pretty good, but no one thought we would make the Final Four,” Langhorne said. “This year, everyone is talking about Duke, North Carolina, Connecticut and Tennessee. We need to show that we can beat one of those teams.”
ESPN women?s basketball analyst Doris Burke said Maryland has little to prove as far as she is concerned and wouldn?t be surprised to see the Terps in Cleveland for the Final Four.
“Maryland does not have a bad loss on their schedule,” Burke said. “Maryland also has two things that any team needs to win a championship: talent and passionate coaching.”
Terps notes
» Maryland guard Shay Doron has 1,848 career points and is still second on the school?s all-time leading scoring list. Vicky Bullett is first with 1,928 points.
» ESPN analyst Doris Burke said she expects six teams from the ACC ? Maryland, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, Florida State and Georgia Tech ? to be selected for the NCAA tournament.
