The Maryland Lady Terrapins and Iowa State Cyclones face off on Friday night in a women’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup at Maples Pavilion. This is an exciting 7/10 matchup that should be very competitive.
Can Maryland Live Up to Preseason Expectations?
Maryland didn’t live up to the preseason expectations during the regular season, but if they could make an NCAA tournament run, what happened during the regular season doesn’t matter. The Lady Terps finished the regular season with a 19-13 record including 9-9 during conference play. The .500 record in the Big Ten is the worst record that Maryland has had since joining the Big Ten. This is also the first time since 2018 that the Terps haven’t been hosting the opening weekend games at home. Even though the struggles have happened, there is a reason to be excited about this team. Two games ago against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Maryland knocked off one seed 82-61. At the end of the first quarter, the Terrapins were down 17-12, but in the last three quarters Maryland dominated. Maryland is averaging 77.7 points while their defense is giving up 72.7 points per game. The offense has been good, but at times the defense hasn’t been good enough. Shyanne Sellers has been the top player for Maryland averaging 15.5 points while shooting 43 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from behind the three point line.
Iowa State Comes into NCAA Tournament Hot
A team wants to be hot heading into the NCAA Tournament and that is exactly what Iowa State is. The Lady Cyclones have won six of the last seven games with the only loss coming in the last game against the Texas Longhorns. Two games ago Iowa State knocked off the number one seed in the Big 12 tournament, the Oklahoma Sooners. Iowa State scored 85 points on the way to the blowout victory. Audi Crooks had a strong game putting up 25 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Against Texas, Iowa State only scored 53 points, and the offense will need to be better if they want to beat Maryland. Iowa State is shooting 74.8 points while the defense is giving up 68 points per game. The Cyclones are shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from downtown. Center Audi Crooks is averaging 18.9 points while shooting 58.4 from the field. The Iowa State men’s team is the two seed, and both teams hope to make a deep run in the tournament.
It’s a “down season” for Maryland but they still finished the regular season with a 19-13 record. This is a veteran-led team that has players like Sellers who are a mismatch whenever they step onto the court. Maryland is averaging 77.7 points per game, and even against good defensive teams like Ohio State, they have run up the score. Maryland is going to get another big game from Sellers, and the Lady Terrapins are going to have no issue beating them handily. Iowa State only scored 53 points in the last game, and they won’t have a strong offensive game here. Maryland will shoot over their season average of 35.7 percent from deep, and the Terrapins will get the job done.
