The Terrapins women’s basketball team learned a lot about its postseason fate when it settled into the Xfinity Center’s Heritage Hall to watch the NCAA women’s basketball selection show Monday night.
The Terps found out they earned the No. 2 seed in the Lexington Region. They discovered their quest to make a third straight Final Four wouldn’t go through Connecticut, the No. 1 overall seed and three-time defending champions. They’ll likely have to defeat top-seeded Notre Dame instead.
And for the sixth straight season, the Terps learned they’ll play their first and second-round games in College Park. In earning one of the top 16 seeds, coach Brenda Frese’s squad will play No. 15-seed Iona on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Xfinity Center. Should they win, the Terps will play another home game against either No. 7-seed Washington or No. 10-seed Penn.
“We get to sleep in our own bed, have the same time zone and know the routine and get to play on our own court,” Frese said. “I know the top four seeds worked really hard during the season to get this opportunity. For us, our fans didn’t have to pay to travel, so it’s something that we never take for granted and it’s a tremendous opportunity.”
In previous years, the sites for first and second round contests were predetermined. So while the Terps hosted four straight NCAA Tournament between 2010-2014, their performance wasn’t directly related to that decision.
But starting last season, the NCAA decided to allow the top 16 seeds to host the first two rounds. The Terps have taken advantage, earning a No. 1 seed in 2015 before landing a No. 2 seed this season.
Guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough reiterated Frese’s notion that the Terps are even more grateful for this opportunity because they’ve earned it, while senior center Malina Howard is excited to potentially play two more games on the team’s home floor before her career ends.
There’s also the advantage of having the home crowd. Forward Tierney Pfirman, along with Walker-Kimbrough, called the Terps faithful the best fan base in the country.
The Terps (30-3) will enter their opening-round game with the Gaels (23-11), who won the MAAC conference tournament title, on a nine-game winning streak. The run includes three wins in the Big Ten Tournament from March 4–6 in Indianapolis in which the Terps capped their championship by defeating Michigan State.
They will have had 11 days off between games when they suit up Saturday afternoon, something guard Chloe Pavlech said allowed the players to rest their legs.
They didn’t have to worry about much on the academic side either, as all students have been on Spring Break since March 13.
“I know we had kind of joked about going to Miami for the weekend, but obviously we didn’t,” Pavlech said. “Coach B didn’t approve of that. But it’s been a really good few days off because we’ve also been able to work on ourselves a lot as well.”
Frese said the Terps used the extended break to delve into their performances during the conference tournament. From watching film, the veteran coach saw the need to improve defensively. They’ve used much of their practice time fine-tuning different defenses, whether it be man-to-man, zone or a full-court press, which they used extensively in their quarterfinal win against Iowa.
But now the break is over. The Terps have their eyes set on returning to Indianapolis for the Final Four in two weeks, and they’ll have the luxury of starting that journey in College Park.
“It’s a huge advantage just having that home feeling and having, obviously, the best fans in the country right behind you,” Pavlech said. “And being familiar with the baskets and the court is just a huge advantage.”
