The Terps are ranked in the preseason AP poll for the 13th straight year.
Maryland women’s basketball landed at No. 14 in the AP preseason poll, released Tuesday.
Despite the departures of 2023 WNBA first-round picks Diamond Miller and Abby Meyers, the Terps garnered a top-25 preseason ranking for the 13th straight season.
As well, the Terps landed at No. 11 in the USA TODAY coaches poll.
Last year, the Terps started at No. 17, eventually reaching their peak of No. 5 in the 17th week of the season.
Key returners, such as forward Faith Masonius and guard Shyanne Sellers, are expected to take charge of this year’s scoring efforts. Graduate students Brinae Alexander and Lavender Briggs also return to the fold, offering veteran leadership, size and steady shooting.
In an effort to fill the voids created by the departure of Miller and Meyers, head coach Brenda Frese recruited graduate transfer guard Jakia Brown-Turner from NC State, who earned a spot on the Naismith Preseason Watch List in 2022. Redshirt junior Allie Kubek — currently dealing with a day-to-day lower-body injury — will make her debut as a Terp after suffering a torn ACL during the 2022 preseason.
A taxing pair of away games against No. 6 South Carolina and No. 2 UConn will serve as an early test for Frese’s squad. In conference play, the Terps will face No. 7 Ohio State on Jan. 17 before entering back-to-back battles against No. 9 Indiana and No. 3 Iowa on Jan. 31 and Feb. 3, respectively.
The Terps — picked in the Big Ten preseason poll to finish fourth in the conference — have a challenging slate ahead.