The Terps host a national tournament game for the first time in two years.
It’s time for the Big Dance.
No. 4-seed Maryland women’s basketball was selected as one of the programs to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament Sunday.
On Saturday, the Terps will face No. 13-seed Norfolk State with their season on the line. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. on ESPN.
The winner of this game will face either No. 5-seed Alabama or No. 12-seed Green Bay on Monday in the Round of 32.
Norfolk State Spartans (30-4, 14-0 MEAC)
Head coach Larry Vickers is in his 10th season with Norfolk State and has led the Spartans to their third straight NCAA Tournament and MEAC championship. This season, Norfolk State had its best record under Vickers.
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Norfolk State continued its domination of the MEAC, winning three conference tournament games by 10 points or more. That included a 72-33 win over Coppin State in the semifinals, a margin larger than when Maryland beat Coppin State earlier this season.
“They’re a great group. They’ve put in a lot of work to be in the NCAA Tournament,” Shyanne Sellers said.
It’s clear that Norfolk State is a top team in its conference, but the Spartans have four losses on the season. They lost to Alabama, Washington State, Green Bay and North Carolina, all NCAA Tournament teams. Two of those teams will play in College Park this weekend.
Players to watch
Diamond Johnson, graduate student point guard, 5-foot-5, No. 3 — Johnson is the star of Norfolk State in her second season with the Spartans after transferring from NC State. She averages 19 points per game, along with 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. She averaged 20.2 points per game last season.
“Diamond Johnson is the head of the snake for them,” Sellers said. “Great player, competitive. I think we need to do our job and focus on that and dial into that scout specifically for us to be successful.”
Kierra Wheeler, senior forward, 6-foot-1, No. 22 — Wheeler is the second part of Norfolk State’s two-headed monster in her third season with the Spartans. She averages 15.6 points and nine rebounds per game this season. She’s a strong two-way force and could be dangerous against Maryland’s defense.
Anjanae Richardson, sophomore guard, 5-foot-8, No. 4 — Richardson is third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.7 points per game this season. She also averages two rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, starting in about half the games.
Strength
Defense. Norfolk State is one of the best defensive teams in the country, averaging only 55.9 points allowed per game, the 20th-fewest. The Spartans also force the 13th-most turnovers per game in the country with 21.7.
Weakness
Free throws. Due to how dominant Norfolk State is over its conference, there aren’t a ton of notable weaknesses. The Spartans only shoot 70.5% from the free-throw line, though, which ranks 206th in the nation.
Three things to watch
1. Home-court advantage. Sellers thought her time playing at Xfinity Center was over after the final game of the regular season against Ohio State. Now, she has a chance to end her career at home as one of the greatest players in program history.
2. Time to tighten up. It’s NCAA Tournament time, and the Terps will either win and move on or be sent home. Just because Maryland is the higher seed does not mean it won’t have a difficult time against a hungry Norfolk State team.
“March Madness time, it comes down to possessions, and so you need to tighten up,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Whether that be on the defensive end, a box out, making free throws offensively. We clearly have so much respect for every team that we’re going to face, but just being the most prepared team.”
3. Health. It will be over two weeks since Maryland played its last game, meaning players like Sellers and Saylor Poffenbarger — who appeared to be playing injured — will have had time to recover.
“Every time we’ve been knocked down, whether it be with an injury, with a loss, I mean, we’ve always come back and responded, and that’s because of just how competitive this locker room is,” Frese said.