The Terps control their own density entering the postseason.
The plane has landed in Indianapolis.
No. 15 Maryland women’s basketball has its eyes set on the program’s sixth Big Ten Tournament championship and a chance to prove itself headed into the NCAA Tournament.
“We create our own destiny,” Shyanne Sellers said. “It starts with us.”
This is a tournament that teams coached by head coach Brenda Frese have historically dominated, going to seven consecutive championship games after joining the conference.
Over the past three years, Caitlin Clark dominated the conference tournament, though, leading Iowa to three straight championships. Maryland has failed to make it past the semifinal over the past two years, and lost in the quarterfinal the season prior.
With Clark gone, the Terps have a chance to reclaim their Big Ten Tournament glory, but they may need to fend off stars like JuJu Watkins and Lauren Betts to do so.
“I think it’s the best basketball that we’re playing, and that’s where you want to be. You want to be peaking in March,” Frese said.
The road to the championship
The journey starts Friday against No. 5-seed Michigan. The Wolverines won their first game of the tournament Thursday against Washington and will look to avenge their Feb. 17 loss to Maryland.
“I feel like it’s better that we’ve played the teams,” Kaylene Smikle said. “It’s not like we don’t know what to expect.”
The Terps will need to better defend Michigan’s freshmen stars, Olivia Olson and Syla Swords, both of whom had their way last time in College Park. Maryland also needs another well-rounded offensive performance — especially with the uncertainty of Saylor Poffenbarger — and Smikle to have a much better night.
If the Terps get past Michigan, another tough test will await them Saturday. The winner of Friday’s game between Maryland and Michigan will face the winner of the USC and Indiana.
The Terps took down No. 9-seed Indiana last Thursday in their final road game of the regular season. An astonishing 21-point fourth quarter from Shyanne Sellers lifted the Terps above the Hoosiers.
USC, on the other hand, gave Maryland its first loss of the season back in January. The Terps had a chance to win at Xfinity Center but faltered late. That Maryland team was significantly more healthy, as Bri McDaniel, Poffenbarger and Sellers were at full strength.
Either way, containing Watkins and Kiki Iriafen is a tall task.
Four of Maryland’s five conference losses have come against the seven other teams that have made it to the quarterfinals.
The Terps took down Ohio State in the regular season finale after losing to it earlier in the season. Nebraska embarrassed Maryland at home and seem to have Frese’s number, eliminating the Terps in last year’s tournament.
Shockingly, Maryland is probably more healthy now than it was against UCLA. Sellers will be on the court, but with the uncertainty of Poffenbarger, guarding Betts may be a nightmare. She scored 33 points against the Terps in January.
“We needed to secure that double bye … with the injuries that we’ve had,” Frese said. “They’re going to have to be 40-minute complete games. You take them one game at a time and to play against the best of the best. I mean, our league has shown that. So, you’ve got to come out and play your best basketball.”
What does Maryland need to do to host?
In the NCAA Tournament, the top four seeds in each region host the first and second rounds.
Maryland sits on the bubble as a team that can potentially host, but will need to have a strong conference tournament. As things stand, Maryland is ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and No. 25 in NET rankings.
Maryland is tied with TCU for the fifth-most Quad 1 victories in the nation with seven, behind only UCLA, USC, Texas and South Carolina. The issue is that Maryland has also has four Quad 1 losses and two Quad 2 losses. The two Quad 2 losses are why Maryland’s NET ranking is lower than many teams that have fewer Quad 1 wins.
The Terps will likely need to make it to Sunday to secure a top-four seed.
“The strongest teams are the ones who are going to make it the furthest,” Smikle said.