Potential NCAA Tournament opponents for Maryland women’s basketball

When No. 6 Maryland women’s basketball fell to No. 2 Iowa in the Big Ten semifinals, not only did the Terps lose a chance to secure their sixth Big Ten Tournament championship under coach Brenda Frese, but potentially also lost a No. 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

In ESPN’s latest bracketology, Maryland is a No. 2-seed. If that were to occur, Maryland would take on a No. 15-seed in the first round in College Park, and then either a No. 7 or No 10-seed in the second round.

To preview Selection Sunday, here are four potential opponents — two for each round — that the Terps could take on in the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament.

Potential No. 15 seeds

Fairleigh Dickinson

The Knights enter the Northeast conference tournament as the regular season winners, finishing with a 23-6 record, 14-2 in the conference. Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Central Connecticut in the quarterfinals, and will take on St. Francis Brooklyn in the semifinals on Thursday. If the Knights defeat Central Connecticut and win in the championship game, they will earn an automatic bid.

Interestingly, the Terps and Knights share a common opponent, the Davidson Wildcats. Both played the Wildcats in November; Maryland crushed Davidson, 70-52, while Farleigh Dickinson prevailed in a low-scoring affair over Davidson, 49-43.

As they have all season, the Knights used their defense in the win over Davidson. Fairleigh Dickinson allows an average of just 52.5 points per game, with teams shooting a lowly 22 percent from three. Opponents turn the ball over 15.8 times per game against Fairleigh Dickinson, as its length causes fits for opposing offenses.

On offense, junior forward Chloe Wilson leads the way for the Knights. She averages 16.7 points per game, the team-lead.

Fairleigh Dickinson’s offense relies a lot on its inside scoring, as it only makes 7.1 threes a game.

Saint Louis

On Sunday, Saint Louis made history. The Billikens defeated UMass in a overtime thriller, 91-85, clinching the program’s first-ever spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Coming out of the Atlantic Ten conference, Saint Louis was the No. 3-seed in the A10 tournament, winning three games in three days en route to the conference championship.

Similarly to Fairleigh Dickinson, the Billikens are not a high powered offensive team. Saint Louis makes 5.2 threes per game and shoots only 27 percent from the perimeter.

It’s a one-woman show for Saint Louis, as senior guard Kyla McMakin willed her team to the NCAA Tournament. She scored 27 points in the conference finals, and surpassed Theresa Lich’s previous school scoring record in a season with 591 points.

On the other side of the ball, the Billikens average 9.5 steals a game and try to force opponents into tough positions offensively.

Saint Louis would not have made the tournament without winning the conference tournament, and enter the tournament with a 17-17 record. However, the Billikens are playing well, have momentum, and have a senior guard who is looking to leave her mark.

Potential No. 7/10 seeds

Creighton

A potential No. 7-seed, Creighton finished the regular season with a 22-8 record, 15-5 in the Big East. While the Blue Jays were not ranked in the latest AP poll, they did receive 37 votes.

In the Big East semifinals, Creighton fell to No. 11 Villanova and the Big East Player of the Year, Maddy Siegrest, in a 63-61 thriller.

But Creighton still enters the NCAA Tournament having won 10 of its last 12 games, showing it’s playing its best basketball in March. On offense, the Blue Jays are electric, scoring 71.1 points per game with shooting 37% from deep.

Creighton has three double-digit scorers, all juniors who lead the way on offense. Morgan Maly, Emma Ronsiek and Lauren Jensen all average between 13 and 16 points per game, and have started every game this season.

On defense, the Blue Jays strengths lie in limiting threes for opponents. Teams only make 4.8 threes a game against them, shooting a miserable 28 percent.

Creighton has NCAA Tournament experience. Last season, the Blue Jays went on a miraculous run to the Elite Eight as a No. 10-seed.

Creighton is a dangerous team that is used to the big dance, is not afraid of the moment, and can shoot from three — a combination that spurs trouble for any opponent in March.

Alabama

The Crimson Tide season ended in a whimper, as they fell to Kentucky in the second round of the SEC Tournament, 71-58.

Alabama still finished with a 20-10 record, and is likely to fall on the No. 10 seed line come Sunday. But it is slumping recently, losing four straight-games entering the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama is still ranked highly in the NET rankings, slotting in at No. 30.

A veteran guard is crucial in March, and Alabama has that in senior guard Brittany Davis. The graduate student averages 17.3 points per game, the only double-digit scorer for the Crimson Tide.

Shooting in March is also critical, and Alabama has proven that it can light it up from the outside with a 38 percent clip from three.

But Alabama does not have a ranked win on its resume. That — paired with its poor showing in the SEC Tournament — the Crimson Tide will likely fall on the No. 10-seed line.