ROUNDTABLE: No. 17 Maryland women’s basketball beat writers roundtable

By: Bode Ramsey and Sam Jane

As the Maryland women’s basketball season draws near, Terps fans will have plenty of interesting storylines to follow over the course of the season. As a number of players left from last year’s squad and plenty of players have entered the program, the season shapes up to be an interesting one in College Park.

To preview the upcoming season, Terrapin Sports Central’s women’s basketball beat writers answered some questions that fans might have heading into the season opener against George Mason on Nov. 7.

What game in the non-conference season should fans pay attention to?

Sam: While many people will point to No. 17 Maryland’s home opener against top-ranked South Carolina, a game that will reveal a lot about the Terps will be their Dec. 11 matchup against No. 6 UConn.

Head coach Geno Auriemma’s seemingly every season has an uber talented Huskies squad, and that is no exception this year. After making the Big East All-Freshman Team last season, sophomore guard Azzi Fudd will lead UConn this year. The matchup between Fudd and Maryland guard Diamond Miller expects to be a heavyweight bout.

This game will be played a month into the Terps’ schedule, which should allow for Maryland’s new additions to get acclimated and for Brenda Frese to find out which lineups work best. Additionally, a win over the Huskies would be a massive boost to Maryland’s resume come NCAA Tournament time.

Bode: Although it’s hard not to answer with Maryland’s home opener against South Carolina, I have to agree with Sam that the South Carolina bout will not be the game fans should be judging the team’s future success off of. However, I don’t believe that will come against Auriemma’s Huskies.

I agree with Sam that the new faces of this program are going to need time to acclimate themselves on the court. That said, I believe this test of their chemistry will come 10 days earlier in South Bend against No. 9 Notre Dame.

This game comes at a time that will be a crucial turning point in the season, for better or worse. The Terps will have had eight games under their belt by that point in the season, including tough tests against South Carolina and No. 18 Baylor. There is a possibility that the Notre Dame matchup may be Maryland’s first test where things are fully clicking between all of the new faces.

Notre Dame returns four of its top five scorers from a season ago. Included in that is Olivia Miles, who was named as a First Team All-ACC honoree in her freshman campaign. Niele Ivey’s squad surprised some a season ago by routing No. 4-seed Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament by over 40 points, and nearly shocked No. 1-seed NC State in the Sweet Sixteen.

Maryland’s battle against Notre Dame will reveal a lot about the make-up of the Terps this season.

How will Diamond Miller perform as the number one option?

Sam: Miller comes into the year with high expectations, as she was listed to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List — presented annually to the best shooting guard in women’s basketball. Miller has struggled with health in her collegiate career, as she missed 10 of Maryland’s first 12 games last season and only played in 18 games due to a knee injury.

However, Miller is healthy by all accounts, and will shoulder a significant load of the Terps offense this season. Without Angel Reese in the program anymore, Miller will be the scorer whom Frese looks to in crunch time.

What type of issues will Maryland encounter?

Bode: As mentioned earlier, the vast majority of this team has no experience playing with each other, as a handful of freshmen and transfers joined the program.

It will not surprise many if the team is presented with a few hiccups early in the year that will need to be limited as the season gets going. If Maryland doesn’t have good chemistry with one another by the time the conference season rolls around, its incredibly difficult schedule will punish the Terps. 

Additionally, Maryland lost size from last year’s squad. Following the transfer of 6-foot-3 Angel Reese to LSU, Frese looked to the transfer portal and picked up a much needed forward in Allie Kubek from Towson. However, Kubek unfortunately tore her ACL and will miss the entire 2022-23 season.

Rebounding may prove to be a struggle against teams with true centers and taller forwards, and interior defense will be a point of emphasis for a team that is being forced to play “positionless basketball,” according to Frese. 

Which newcomer will play the biggest impact?

Sam: As someone who transferred in January, Lavender Briggs is hardly considered a newcomer into the Maryland program. However, Briggs has yet to suit up for the Terps due to a foot injury. 

The 6-foot-1 senior guard is someone that Frese raves about, praising her pro mentality and scoring ability on the wing. Briggs struggled from the perimeter in 14 games for Florida last year — which if that continues — would significantly lower her ceiling.

Yet, if Briggs can provide a threat from deep, her natural creation along the wing will give opponents matchup nightmares when figuring out how to contain her.

Bode: Princeton transfer Abby Meyers has looked good in practices leading up to the beginning of the season, providing a nice veteran presence alongside Miller and Briggs.

Meyers was the Ivy League Player of the Year this past season, averaging 17.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 40% from three. She wasn’t afraid of the spotlight either, scoring a career high 29 points in Princeton’s first round upset win over No. 6-seed Kentucky. 

If Meyers can keep up her savvy play in the Big Ten she could prove to be a perfect piece in this Maryland offense, and even take over at times if she gets hot from beyond the arc.