Maryland women’s basketball stepped on the floor as the favorite in an overwhelming number of its games this season. While the Terps have taken on a number of premier opponents — Iowa, Notre Dame and Baylor most notably — none will be as big of a test then what they will face at 7 p.m. on Monday.
No. 2-seed Maryland will attempt to do what no other team has done this season: Slay goliath. The only obstacle standing between the Terps and a Final Four appearance is their largest test this season, South Carolina.
South Carolina enters the matchup 35-0, having won all but five of its games by double digits. The Gamecocks also beat Maryland in College Park in just the second game of the season for each school, 81-56 in a 25-point beating.
With a 30-point scoring margin, the best defense in the country and a hall of fame coach at the helm, South Carolina entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and has looked the part.
With Dawn Staley pacing the sideline, Aliyah Boston snatching rebounds out of the air and Zia Cook leading the show in the backcourt, the Gamecocks are the best team in the country for a reason. South Carolina has defeated its three tournament opponents by an average of 26 points a game, dominating on both ends of the floor.
The Gamecocks have a lot of size and length, as 10 players on the roster are six feet or taller, including three of their starters.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen [a team] with the size they have,” coach Brenda Frese said.
But the most notable one is Boston.
The SEC Player of the Year is widely considered to be the favorite to be selected first overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Boston is averaging 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and two blocks per game, and according to Staley has sacrificed individual accolades for the team’s success. The senior forward completely took over the meeting in College Park, scoring 16 points on 7-8 scoring alongside 13 rebounds.
Still, she’s not even the Gamecocks leading scorer. That would be Cooke, the dynamic guard from Toledo. The senior scores 15.1 points per game, runs the show for the South Carolina offense, and has averaged in double figures all four of her years in Columbia.
While the Gamecocks offense is good, its defense is elite. Opponents shoot an abysmal 31 percent from the floor against them, make just four threes a game and have a rebound margin of negative 20.
South Carolina has been the best team in the country throughout the season, but Maryland enters with experience against the Gamecocks, albeit down a key player.
Senior guard Diamond Miller missed the November battle with an injury, but is back on the floor for the Elite Eight. Miller could present a matchup problem for the Gamecocks, as she brings experience alongside her talent to the court.
“I know [Maryland] missed her the last time, so they’ll get a boost,” Staley said.
Staley runs a full switch defense, so making tough shots will be paramount for the Terps. Both Miller and sophomore guard Shayanne Sellers will need to have big games in order for Maryland to pull off the upset.
In the closest game South Carolina has played this season, a five-point overtime victory over Stanford, forward Cameron Brink scored 25 for the Cardinals and they shot 35 percent from three.
That is likely the recipe to success for Maryland.
Maryland is the underdog for a reason, but in November the Terps showed they were not afraid of South Carolina as some of them got into a scuffle, showing they wouldn’t back down no matter the circumstances.
The Terps may need their best performance of the season with a Final Four trip on the line.
“They just continue to keep putting their head down and working, and continue to keep telling a very sweet story,” Frese said.
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