At Maryland women’s basketball media day ahead of the 2018-19 season, coach Brenda Frese candidly outlined her expectation for Big Ten play: Win a conference championship.
Heading into the season, the Terps were billed as the conference favorites by coaches and media. But after a 77-60 loss to then-No. 17 Michigan State on Jan. 17, Maryland found itself at 4-2 in the Big Ten, two games back of a Rutgers team that won its first seven conference contests.
Since falling to the Spartans, though, the Terps have regained the top spot in the Big Ten — they’re a game clear of No. 14 Iowa — behind their own seven-game winning streak. With five games remaining and the path to a conference championship squarely in Maryland’s court, the team can’t afford to relish its reacquisition of first place.
And with a crucial matchup with the Hawkeyes on the horizon, the Terps (22-2, 11-2 Big Ten) can’t overlook Nebraska (11-13, 6-7) on Thursday if they intend to win their fourth Big Ten championship in five tries.
“That’s kinda how we’ve been all year, just taking one game at a time,” Frese said. “This team is really goal-driven. And just working on controlling what we can control, which is ourselves.”
[Read more: With unrelenting defense, Maryland women’s basketball dominated its rematch with Rutgers]
At this stage of its schedule a season ago, Maryland found itself in a similar position.
Despite a tumultuous offseason, the Terps raced to an 11-1 start and first place in the conference. But inconsistent play — due in large part to guard Blair Watson’s ACL tear in January — slowed the team to three losses in four games to end the regular season.
Ohio State went on to win the Big Ten outright with a 13-3 record, before knocking off Maryland in the conference championship game. It was the first time since 2014 that the Terps didn’t take home the Big Ten title.
This time around, they’re doing everything they can to avoid a similar fate.
“We just need to stay focused on now,” forward Brianna Fraser said. “I think we just need to keep pushing, keep going hard because that’s a standard of ours. To be at the top and stay at the top.”
[Read more: No. 10 Maryland women’s basketball wins rematch with No. 20 Rutgers, 62-48]
With a target on its back as the conference leader, Maryland knows it will get every team’s best shot. Three of the Terps’ final five opponents — Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue — are in NCAA tournament contention. So, to avoid stumbling down the stretch like last year, the Terps are heeding Freese’s warning and continuing to take it a game at a time.
Although consistency has been an issue at times during various points of the season, Maryland has looked like a complete team in recent weeks. Each of its past seven wins has been by double digits, dispelling any hints of a repeat of 2017-18.
But before the Terps can get a shot at the Hawkeyes — and further cement their spot at the top of the Big Ten — they first have to deal with a scrappy Nebraska squad. In the wake of last year’s collapse, Maryland appears to be in the right frame of mind for the home stretch.
“[We’re going to continue] doing what we’ve been doing all season, which is just preparing for each game like we normally do,” forward Stephanie Jones said. “Making sure that we can keep our spot up there, and just do the best that we can to try and maintain that.”
