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Sweet Sixteen: Maryland women’s basketball tangles with Texas

By Dave Preston

After 2020 saw the cancellation of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, this March has been a gift. But the gift of each March carries with it an expiration date: 48 of the 64 schools went home last week, and by Tuesday, only four schools will remain in San Antonio.

For the Maryland women’s basketball team, this entire season has been a gift for Coach Brenda Frese.

“They’ve been just a joy to coach in a really difficult situation,” Frese said. “I think this team has given a lot of our Maryland fans and the people supporting us a lot of joy to be able to see this team and how far they’ve come.”

This year’s team is like none other Coach Frese has had in her tenure.

While she’s had transfers in the past who have contributed, this year’s team has three transfers starting: Katie Benzan (Harvard) led the nation in three-point shooting (over 50% from outside the arc), Mimi Collins (Tennessee) stepped up when freshman Angel Reese missed two months with a foot injury, and Chloe Bibby (Mississippi State) tried to put her finger on the joy this team has together.

“The chemistry on this team is just off the charts. We get along so well on and off the court and I think that translates. That’s why we’re able to have so much fun while we’re playing and I think you can see that,” Bibby said. “I think that’s what makes this team oh so special.”

Maryland meets No. 6 seed Texas in the Regional Semifinals (9 p.m. Sunday tipoff on ESPN), a round that the Terps are 6-2 in under Coach Frese. The broad brush would paint this matchup as Maryland’s high-octane offense (tops in the nation at over 90 points per game) against the Longhorns’ stingy defense (63 points allowed per game while holding Bradley and UCLA to 62 points apiece in the NCAA Tournament).

“They do a tremendous job on the glass and defensively they want to turn you over,” Frese said. “They want to force you into a lot of pressure situations.”

Texas held UCLA to 1-19 from three-point range in its Second Round victory, but the Longhorns haven’t met a team like the Terps this winter.

“That’s fine that they’re a defensive team but they’ve still got to try to stop us. We’re the best offense in the country,” Bibby said. “We’ve proven that day in and day out.”

And even though the Terps are viewed as the offensive powerhouse, they’ve turned opponents over 19.5 times per game in the tournament.

“I think you’re going to see both teams want to turn each other over,” Frese said. “Which team is going to be more successful at it and going to be able to capitalize through those turnovers to finish plays — I think it’s going to be an important element in this game.”

The Longhorns are led by 6-foot-5 forward Charli Collier, who averages 19 points and 12 rebounds per game while shooting 52% from the field. But the Terps have made a point to deny their opponent’s major weapon in this year’s NCAA Tournament, from holding Mount St. Mary’s leading scorer Kendall Bresee to 0-10 shooting in the First Round to limiting Alabama’s Jordan Lewis to 2-9 shooting two days after she scored 32 points.

Meanwhile, Maryland has six players averaging in double figures during the NCAA’s. Can the Terps come together again to earn two more days of togetherness for the team and anticipation for their fans?

2022 ACC Tournament Bracket: How to watch, dates, preview, location

By Matt Weyrich
ACC Tournament Bracket and preview originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe ACC has been one of the most dominant conferences in the history of NCAA men's basketball. With three of the last six March Madness champions calling the conference home, the 2022 ACC Tournament will feature some of the NCAA’s premier men’s basketball programs going head-to-head before the big event the following week.However, this is a bit of an unusual year for the ACC — there are only four teams you could actually claim to be tournament 'locks' at this point in the season. There are three more on or around the bubble and everyone else is in an auto-bid or bust mentality. Duke is projected to earn the best seed for the NCAA Tournament. In head coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season, the Blue Devils could be anywhere from a No. 2 seed to a No. 4 seed. Where they fall in the ACC Tournament will likely dictate where Duke is slotted. Early season losses put them in a hole, but the unpredictability of the rest of the conference evened the score to help them claim the No. 1 seed.That could create a more competitive field than in years past. North Carolina, Miami, Florida State and Virginia all have shown they can best the Blue Devils. Three of those losses even came on their own floor. And on top of that, Wake Forest, the Cavaliers, the Seminoles, Syracuse and more are playing for their seasons.How will the 2022 ACC Tournament shake out? Here’s everything you need to know.ACC TOURNAMENT 2021 INFORMATION:  When is the 2022 ACC Tournament?The ACC Tournament will be held from March 8-12. The ACC Championship Game is on Saturday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET.Where is the 2022 ACC Tournament? The ACC Tournament will be held at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, NY. This is just the second time the event has been held in Brooklyn.How to watch the 2022 ACC Tournament The First Round of the ACC Tournament will be broadcast on ACC Network. The Second Round will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be on ESPN and ESPN2. The ACC Championship will be broadcast on ESPN.All ESPN programming is available for streaming at Watch ESPN with a valid cable subscription.Who is the defending 2021 ACC Champion? Georgia Tech shocked the ACC - thanks to an assist with Virginia missing their semifinal contest due to a positive coronavirus test - to win the 2021 ACC Championship over Florida State. Head coach Josh Pastner became a household sensation with his face shield.2022 ACC TOURNAMENT BRACKET:ACC Tournament First Round (3/8, Times ET) - No. 13 Boston College d. No. 12 Pittsburgh 66-46- No. 10 Clemson d. No. 15 NC State 70-64- No. 11 Louisville d. No. 14 Georgia Tech 84-74ACC Tournament Second Round (3/9, Times ET)- No. 9 Syracuse d. No. 8 Florida State 96-57- No. 13 Boston College d. No. 5 Wake Forest 82-77 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 10 Clemson 76-75 (OT)- No. 6 Virginia d. No. 11 Louisville 51-50ACC Tournament Quarterfinals (3/10, Times ET)- No. 1 Duke d. No. 9 Syracuse 88-79- No. 4 Miami d. No. 13 Boston College 71-69 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 2 Notre Dame 87-80- No. 3 North Carolina d. No. 6 Virginia 63-43ACC Tournament Semifinals (3/11, Times ET) - No. 1 Duke d. No. 4 Miami 80-76- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 3 North Carolina 72-59ACC Tournament Championship (3/12, Time ET) - No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 1 Duke 82-672022 ACC TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Far and away, Duke is the best team in the ACC this season. The Blue Devils are coached by the best coach in the league, have a top-three NBA Draft pick on their roster and may have a multitude of playmakers - which is rare in the rest of the conference.Yet, the consistency is not there for the team with the No. 1 seed. Quiet nights by ACC Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero paired with off-shooting performances by Wendell Moore Jr. are huge reasons for their four conference losses.Then again, no one in the ACC has shown any level of consistency either. Notre Dame has silently put together a solid year behind Blake Wesley and Dane Goodwin. A favorable schedule - where they never played any of the top eight teams more than once - led them here and the Fighting Irish took advantage. The lack of playmaking guards that run an offense, though, and a deep bench are concerning. It's not conducive to winning three games in three days.North Carolina - after their stunning upset in Cameron Indoor over the weekend - and Miami both showed they have what it takes to topple Duke and have a favorable bracket to see the Blue Devils later in the tournament.Injuries are no longer a hindrance for the Hurricanes, following the lead of Kameron McGusty's 17.5 ppg and 36.8% shooting mark from deep.Let's not forget ACC Player of the Year and the conference's second-leading scorer Alondes Williams at Wake Forest. His Demon Deacons are the deepest team in the conference. Can they finally put it all together for one weekend? If so, they may be the darkhorse team to try and make the semifinals.Everyone else, though, is in desperate mode besides those five teams. Virginia Tech and Virginia need a significant win or two to be considered for an at-large bid. The teams behind them just have eyes only on a championship to extend their seasons.Pick: No. 1 Duke Blue Devils
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