Maryland Terrapins
Big Ten (30-2, 15-1)
Maryland has had a tremendous season as they once again rolled through the Big Ten Conference, except for when they played Ohio State. The Terrapins are a very balanced team that can beat you in a variety of ways offensively and can wear you down defensively over the course of four quarters. Maryland gave Connecticut all they wanted back in late December as the Terrapins fell to the Huskies by a score of 87-81. So it will be very important for this Maryland team to stay locked in and focused in the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament as Washington ended their season in the second round last year.
Big Wins: 11/25 vs Arizona State (83-42), 12/1 at Louisville (78-72), 2/5 at Indiana (92-56)
Bad Losses: 12/29 Connecticut (81-87), 2/20 at Ohio State (87-98)
Coach: Brenda Frese
Why They Can Surprise:
Maryland is absolutely lethal offensively when they are clicking on all cylinders. In the Big Ten Conference Tournament semifinal, the Terrapins shot 59.7 percent from the floor, including 57.1 percent from three point range. That mix of efficiency at the offensive end of the floor makes Maryland almost impossible to slow down when they are clicking at that high of a level. Brionna Jones is arguably the best the post player in the sport and can turn out a double-double performance without much of a problem. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough brings that veteran presence in the backcourt that allows the rest of her teammates to execute their roles at a high level. Walker-Kimbrough is also lights out shooting from behind the three-point line as she has made 44.7 percent of shots from three-point range this season. Destiny Slocum and Kaila Charles also have the ability to post big numbers offensively on a given night and this forces opposing defenses to stay on their toes all game long.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Defense could be a potential issue once the Terrapins face stronger competition in the later rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Maryland allowed 98 points to Ohio State, 87 to Connecticut, and 80 and 89 to Minnesota and Michigan State, respectively, during the Big Ten Tournament. Those numbers are not going to be sustainable during the NCAA Tournament as there are going to be moments where the Terrapins are going to have to play some championship level defense in order to put teams away when they have the chance to do so.
Probable Starters:
Destiny Slocum, Freshman, Guard, 11.5 ppg, 6.0 apg
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Senior, Guard, 18.6 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.0 spg
Kristen Confroy, Junior, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 2.3 apg, 3.9 rpg
Kaila Charles, Freshman, Guard, 10.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg
Brionna Jones, Senior, Center, 19.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg , 1.6 bpg, 2.0 spg
Key Role Players:
Ieshia Small, Junior, Guard, 5.3 ppg, 2.2 apg
Brianna Fraser, Sophomore, Forward, 6.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Blair Watson, Freshman, Guard, 3.1 ppg
Kiah Gillespie, Sophomore, Forward, 4.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 90.0 (1st in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.1 (140, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 50.5 (2, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.7 (121, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.2 (135, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.3 (24, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.9 (128, 8)
Rebound Margin: 16.1 (2, 1)
Assists Per Game: 20.2 (4, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.9 (118, 8)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Iona
2016 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Washington
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over New Mexico State
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Princeton
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Duke
2015 NCAA Regional Final win over Tennessee
2015 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Army
2014 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Tennessee
2014 NCAA Regional Final win over Louisville
2014 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Notre Dame
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Quinnipiac
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Michigan State
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Navy
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Louisville
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Texas A&M
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Notre Dame
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over St. Francis (PA)
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Georgetown
2010 NIT Round of 64 win over Iona
2010 NIT Round of 32 win over East Carolina
2010 NIT Regional Semifinal loss to Providence
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Dartmouth
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Utah
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Vanderbilt
2009 NCAA Regional Final loss to Louisville
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Coppin State
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Nebraska
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Vanderbilt
2008 NCAA Regional Final loss to Stanford
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Harvard
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Mississippi
*all team stats through 3/2
