Maryland women’s basketball seeded No. 10, to face Iowa State in NCAA tournament
The Maryland women’s basketball team earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament and will face No. 7 seed Iowa State in its opening matchup at Stanford.
Coach Brenda Frese’s Terps (19-13) occupied an unfamiliar spot on the NCAA tournament bubble going into the Big Ten tournament but put themselves securely in the field of 68 with an 82-61 upset of top-seeded Ohio State. The Terps had to wait until the very last matchup announced Sunday night to find out their opponent and destination.
Maryland has not missed the NCAA tournament since 2010 and has been in the field in 19 of Frese’s 22 seasons as coach (Maryland likely would have been a No. 1 seed in 2020 if the Covid pandemic had not wiped out the tournament). The Terps have never lost in the opening round under Frese.
They are used to being a top-four seed and hosting first and second round games, so this year will be a change of pace, with Frese’s team hitting the road immediately in search of upsets. If Maryland gets by Iowa State (20-11), it would likely face powerhouse Stanford (28-5) on its home court.
Maryland started the season ranked No. 14 by the Associated Press but went 9-9 in in the highly competitive Big Ten, its worst record ever in the conference. The Terps struggled against elite opponents, suffering double-digit losses to South Carolina, Connecticut, Ohio State and Indiana along with a shocking 112-76 defeat at Penn State.
But they rounded into better form late in the season, led by do-it-all guard Shyanne Sellers’ 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Frese’s lineup also packs plenty of experience, with guards Faith Masonius and Brinae Alexander and forward Jakia Brown-Turner all in at least their fifth years of college competition.
“I’m telling you right now: The Maryland team you see in March is not the same team you see at the beginning,” Sellers said after the win against Ohio State. “I think we just proved that.”
Now, the Terps will have another chance to embrace their unaccustomed role as spoilers.
