Preview: No. 17 Maryland women’s basketball looks to bounce back against Michigan

Photo courtesy of Maryland Terrapins

After a 20-point loss at home to Nebraska last Thursday, where Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said they were “embarrassed,” No. 17 Maryland women’s basketball (19-6, 9-5 Big Ten) hosts Michigan (18-7, 9-5). 

In their last matchup in 2024, the Wolverines defeated the Terps in overtime 79-77. The teams are tied for sixth place in conference play, so expect another hard-fought matchup as the Terps look to bounce back.

After jumping out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter, Maryland was dominated the rest of the way against Nebraska. It was outscored 73-42 and fell behind by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter.

Senior guard Shyanne Sellers looks to have returned to form after being nagged by a knee injury, scoring 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting against the Cornhuskers. However, The rest of the team struggled mightily – shooting 15-for-43 and scoring just 26 points in the second half after a 29-point first quarter. 

“We just got embarrassed,” said Frese. “Now, in the moment of truth of how you’re going to respond, and if you’re going to be able to move this forward.”

On the opposing side, Michigan boasts a three-game win streak, defeating Oregon, Nebraska, and Michigan State all by 10-plus points. 

In each of Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico’s first 12 full seasons, she has finished with 20 or more wins, except the COVID-shortened 2021-2022 season, where she went 16-6. 

Since then, the Wolverines have made it to the NCAA tournament seven times, including each of the six seasons where the tournament occurred (canceled in 2020 due to COVID). They reached the first Sweet Sixteen in program history in 2022 and then to the Elite Eight in 2023. 

Even when the Wolverines missed the tournament, they made the most of their season, winning the NIT tournament in 2016-2017 and reaching the semifinals twice before that.

The Wolverines are on pace to reach the 20-win mark again this season, needing just two more wins with four regular season games remaining, and postseason play. 

Michigan’s scoring comes from its young backcourt, with three freshman guards averaging over 10 points per game.

Leading the way is freshman Olivia Olson, averaging 16 points per game, followed by fellow freshman classmate Syla Swords, averaging 13.2 and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds, and Mila Holloway, averaging 10.4, while leading the team in assists (4.2) and steals per game (1.6). 

Other major contributors include senior guard Jordan Hobbs, averaging 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. 

While the two teams look to be heading in opposite directions, Maryland knows it needs to get back on track. 

After starting the season 8-0 at home, the Terps are just 1-4 at the Xfinity Center since then, with its lone win coming against Minnesota, where the Terps nearly squandered a 20-point lead in the final three minutes. 

On a positive note, the Terps were the first team in the Big Ten this season to sweep their trip to the Pacific Northwest, defeating Oregon and Washington last weekend. 

Maryland’s leading scorer, junior guard Kaylene Smikle, was incredible on that trip. She scored 57 points between the two games, with a career-high 36 against Washinton, and earned Big Ten Player of the Week. 

Like much of the team, though, Smikle struggled against Nebraska. She shot just 2-for-10 from the field and scored eight points, only her second time in single digits this season – snapping a 23-game streak of scoring 10-plus points.

One bright spot in Maryland’s performance was its three-point shooting. The Terps shot 7-15 from downtown but struggled mightily in the paint.

Despite being among the top ten teams in offensive and defensive rebounding in the country, Maryland was outrebounded 42-25 by Nebraska, its largest differential this season. 

The Terps have a tough stretch coming up, though, and they need to find themselves to make a postseason run.

“For us, it’s regrouping quickly and finding leadership in our locker room to be able to put this together with four out of our next five games coming against top 40 teams,” Frese said. 

Tipoff is set for 6. pm. on Monday and will air on the Big Ten network.