Maryland Terrapins
ACC (24-6, 12-4)
Maryland’s schedule turned out to be relatively easy. In the newly expanded ACC, they only played Notre Dame, Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State once. And in non-conference play, only their contest against Connecticut was particularly difficult. But you can only play the games on your schedule and the Terps also failed to take advantage of those big games. The only win was a January 5th road victory over North Carolina.
Big Wins: 1/5 at North Carolina (79-70), 1/16 Syracuse (77-62), 2/2 at Syracuse (89-64)
Bad Losses: 11/15 Connecticut ( 55-72), 1/23 at Virginia (72-86), 1/30 at North Carolina State (63-72)
Coach: Brenda Frese (12 seasons at Maryland)
Why They Can Surprise:
Alyssa Thomas has been one of the best players in the country during her four years at Maryland. The 6-2 senior is averaging 18.7 points and 10.8 rebounds this year and has the ability to absolutely take over a game. Coach Brenda Frese has the option to play big with centers Alicia DeVaughn, Brionna Jones and Malina Howard. Against some teams, as the Terps move deeper in the NCAA Tournament, just having that size is a huge plus. However, it will be the backcourt that compliments Thomas in the scoring department. Freshman Lexie Brown is emerging as a dynamic scoring threat who can finish inside and out. Katie Rutan is an experienced sharpshooter and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough almost always provides a spark off of the bench.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Maryland’s biggest issue is on defense where they allow the opposition to shoot over 38 percent from the floor, and nearly 37 percent from beyond the arc. Those are not a horrible numbers, but it is not Final Four quality numbers either. It stems from the fact that, despite all of their size, the Terrapins do not have a shot blocking threat on the roster. Maryland must find a way to stop players from getting to the rim with such ease. When they let good teams do that, as we have seen all season long, Maryland loses.
Probable Starters:
Lexie Brown, Freshman, Guard, 9.3 ppr, 4.3 apg
Katie Rutan, Senior, Guard, 6.9 ppg, 2.0 apg
Alyssa Thomas, Senior, Forward, 18.9 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 4.3 apg
Alicia DeVaughn, Senior, Center, 7.8 ppg. 5.2 rpg
Brionna Jones, Freshman, Center, 7.1 ppg. 4.8 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Malina Howard, Sophomore, Center, 4.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Laurin Mincy, Junior, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 1.7 apg
Brene Moseley, Sophomore, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 2.8 apg
Tierney Pfirman, Sophomore, Forward, 5.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Freshman, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 1.7 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 83.6 (7th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.4 (51, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.1 (4, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.2 (85, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.5 (148, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.9 (21, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.5 (35, 3)
Rebound Margin: 12.0 (4, 1)
Assists Per Game: 19.8 (4, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.7 (83, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
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 3/6
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
