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The 2023–24 Maryland women’s basketball season ends with one loss. One victory, though, is all it takes to start a run. The No. 10-seeded Terps, who are currently playing some of their best basketball, will try to extend their season when they play Iowa State, ranked No. 7, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Maryland’s road to triumph won’t be simple. The Cyclones have had a number of noteworthy wins recently, including their Big Ten Tournament victory over Ohio State, who was ranked fourth at the time. Those hallmark victories included victories over No. 24 West Virginia, No. 7 Kansas State, and No. 4 Baylor at the time.
It doesn’t matter what your record is in the postseason. “Everything is zero-zero,” guard Shyanne Sellers declared. “You really need to have the right mindset for March—it all comes down to who is hungry and who wants it more.”
The game on Friday will air on ESPN2 and start at 7:30 p.m.
Cyclones from Iowa State (20-11, 12-6 Big 12)
Record for 2022–2023: 22–10, 11–7 Big 12
In his 29 years as the Cyclones’ head coach, Bill Fennelly worked as an assistant to Maryland head coach Brenda Frese for the first four of those seasons. “Bill Fennelly is one of my biggest mentors,” Frese stated. “It’s actually kind of what got me started as a coach.”
With the Cyclones, Fennelly has averaged 21 victories per season and has guided them to five consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.
This season, it defeated Oklahoma and Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament before losing 70-53 to No. 5 Texas in the title game.
Players should be aware
Audi Crooks, a 6-foot-3, No. 55 rookie center, Throughout her rookie season as a Cyclone, Crooks has surpassed all expectations. She ranks first on the squad in scoring (18.9) and second in rebounds (7.7) per game. Tough on the inside, Crooks became the first freshman from Iowa State to be given an honorable mention on the All-American team.
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In the last four games, she has scored more than 20 points per game and made 43 of 67 field goals.
Addy Brown, a 6-foot-2 rookie forward wearing number 24, Brown, who leads the squad in scoring at 13.1 points per game in her first campaign, has been yet another outstanding performer. She leads the Cyclones in both total assists (151) and rebounds per game (8.3).
Senior guard Emily Ryan, height 5’11”, position 11 — Ryan’s steadiness has been crucial to Iowa State’s success this season, even though he has only started 14 of the team’s 31 games. In terms of points (10.2) and rebounds per game (4.5), she is ranked third on the team. She ranks second with 147 assists overall. She was selected for the All-Big 12 second team the previous season.
Size of Strength. The two most productive players for the Cyclones are 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-2, respectively, when they are on the field. The aforementioned post guys combine to average over 53% from the field, and the Cyclones not only dominate the paint offensively, but they also average nearly nine more rebounds per game than their rivals.
Defense Against Weakness. Still, Iowa State is far from unbeatable. Its opponents average the third-highest 3-point % against it in the conference, and it gives up the third-most points per game (68.0) among Big 12 teams.
In the conference, the Cyclones are also dead last in forced turnovers.
Three items to take note of
- How will Crooks be contained in Maryland? There isn’t a post defender for Maryland, and Iowa State boasts one of the top centers in the nation.
It is imperative that the Cyclones struggle to make three-pointers if the Terps choose to swarm the paint. They produce them, though, at a 37.5% clip.
Faith Masonius might be counted on to match up against Allie Kubek, who has been in foul trouble against bigs on occasion this season.
- It’s Sellers’ moment to shine. The best player must perform at their peak during the most important times. Since Sellers has been the Terps’ top option all season, Maryland will need its starting guard to counter the potent Iowa State offense.
- Can the offense for Maryland establish a rhythm? The Terps have averaged 71.8 points in their last 10 games, despite their impressive performance in the Big Ten Tournament. That is 5.9 points below their average for the season. Maryland needs to resume its usual scoring ways if it hopes to advance further in the NCAA Tournament.
“When you look back at how we played [in the Big Ten Tournament], our ability to be connected both offensively and defensively is really what won us the games against Ohio State and Illinois in the end,” stated Frese.
