No. 4-seed Maryland women’s basketball will host No. 13 Norfolk State in the first round of the NCAA tournament

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins

This article was written collaboratively by Christian Andriolas & Dylan Schmidt

Maryland women’s basketball (23-7) earned the No. 4 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, marking the program’s 15th consecutive tournament berth. The Terps will meet No. 13-seed Norfolk State (30-4) in the first round.

Saturday’s opening game will be played in College Park, allowing the Terps an opportunity to improve upon their 11-4 home record. However, their opponents are no slouch.

Norfolk State — the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champions — coasted through conference play, finishing with an impressive 14-0 record. And the Trojans’ momentum carried into the MEAC Tournament, outscoring its three opponents by an average of 25.7 points.

While Norfolk State’s conference play provided no real competition, it challenged itself in nonconference play. Three of the Trojans’ four losses on the year came against NCAA Tournament teams — a 10-point loss to No. 5-seed Alabama, a heartbreaking one-point loss to No. 12-seed Green Bay, and a blowout defeat against No. 3-seed North Carolina.

Their 21-point blowout victory over William & Mary is their only tournament-caliber win.

However, Norfolk State’s signature result came on Dec. 29 against Auburn, which ignited the team’s current 19-game win streak – tied for the fifth-longest in the country. During this stretch, they have cruised past their opponents, beating every team by at least 12 points. 

Despite boasting the 78th-ranked NET and failing to record a Quadrant 1 win, the Trojans are no easy task for a Maryland team trying to get healthy. The Terps are coming off a humiliating 98-71 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament, which halted their momentum.

But Maryland’s resume speaks for itself. The Terps have eight Quadrant 1 wins – good for fifth in the country — most notably defeating No. 2-seed Duke and No. 4-seed Ohio State. Maryland hasn’t faltered against weaker opposition as well, tallying a perfect 13-0 record against Quadrant 3 and 4 teams.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise,” junior guard Kaylene Smikle said. “I think we’ve put in the work all season, and even if we lose games, we learn from it. We started off with a hard schedule and proved we’re capable of doing the things that we did.” 

The Terps enter the NCAA Tournament with injury concerns, though, and ones that have derailed their season at times.

Bri McDaniel has been out since January after tearing her ACL, a key departure for Maryland’s once elite defense. Shyanne Sellers’ nagging knee injury has forced her to miss games, leaving Terps fans in silence whenever she hits the floor. Saylor Poffenbarger is still recovering from an ankle injury she suffered against Northwestern in February.

“This team has always shown me great resiliency and great competitiveness,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Every time we’ve been knocked down with an injury or a loss, we’ve always come back and responded because of how competitive our locker room is.” 

If Maryland defeats Norfolk State, it will host the winner of No. 5-seed Alabama and No. 12 Green Bay. 

Assuming the Terps handle business at home, their path to the Elite Eight hinges on their ability to dethrone No. 1-seed South Carolina — last year’s national champion. Maryland could potentially get a rematch with Duke in the Final Four or former ACC foe North Carolina.

But if the Terps hope to make a deep run, they will need continued production from their role players. Sarah Te-Biasu has recently been Maryland’s best player, notching nine double-digit outings in the past 12 contests, including a game-high 25 points in its last game.

Between Te-Biasu, Sellers and Smikle, the Terps’ backcourt has accounted for just over 41 points a game. 

However, Maryland’s bench struggles have been evident at times this season. Steady contributions from players like Poffenbarger, Christina Dalce, Allie Kubek, and Mir McLean will be pivotal in determining how far this team can go.