WASHINGTON — Quick: Which D.C. area college basketball team is the best?
Sure, Georgetown has been ranked much of the year. So have the Maryland men, who got off to a flying start in their first Big 10 season before a couple of tough road losses. GW has a shot to make it back to the Tournament. A little outside the DMV, VCU is still ranked despite tough injuries; same with Virginia.
But one team has been steadily rising through the ranks, never dropping lower than number 15聽and currently holding down the number five spot in the nation in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll. At 21-2 and a perfect 12-0 in the Big 10, the Maryland Women聽are serving notice that last year鈥檚 Final Four run was no fluke, and that they have their eyes on a return trip to the sport鈥檚 premiere stage.
Coach Brenda Frese lost five seniors including three starters from that team — one of which was All-American and leading scorer in program history Alyssa Thomas — a scenario that almost screams for a rebuilding year. With a starting lineup featuring聽a trio of sophomores, Frese knew her players would have to learn from their mistakes on the fly.
鈥淚t was my number-one concern coming in, after we lost so much experience,鈥� she said of her young team. 鈥淲e knew we were going to have a young roster, and we were going to have to rely on each other.鈥�
The Terrapins rolled through the early part of their schedule in the D.C. area and won their first game at the San Juan Shootout before being stunned by Washington State, 70-64. Five days later, they entered a rematch with Notre Dame, the team that ended their season last year. They were never in the game, trailing by 20 at the half and losing by the same margin.
鈥淲e hadn鈥檛 really formed our identity yet, and those were two tough losses at that point of the year,鈥� said Frese. 鈥淏ut it really brought our team together.鈥�
Maryland hasn’t lost聽in聽over two months since then, racking up 15 straight wins to open up a two-game conference lead. The Terps face number-18 Rutgers at home Tuesday in a matchup of the two teams with the longest conference winning streaks. The Scarlet Knights have won six straight Big 10 affairs and eight of nine, their lone defeat being a 71-59 loss at home to Maryland on Jan. 15.
On Sunday, Maryland slogged through a stagnant, sloppy game with number-18 Nebraska in which they let themselves get dragged into a slower pace. With the fourth-ranked scoring offense in the country entering the game at 83.4 points per game, the Terps scored just 29 first-half points, leading by five at the break.
Maryland鈥檚 lead was still just 43-37 at the under-eight minute timeout, but second-chance points late made聽the difference. After Lexie Brown drained a three-pointer, Maryland had four second-chance opportunities on the following possession and another offensive rebound the next time down the floor, extending lead to 50-37.
Whether it鈥檚 the mental pressure added by a close score late in the contest or the superior conditioning the program preaches, the Terrapins seem to perform at their best late in games after struggling early. In games in which they鈥檝e led by five or less at the half, the Terrapins have outscored opponents by an average of seven points over the final 20 minutes.
While Coach Frese would like to not have to sweat out so many close fought victories, she knows her young team is still learning, and that trial by fire can only help them as they look ahead to March.
鈥淲e play our best with our backs against the wall,鈥� she admitted after Sunday鈥檚 win. 鈥淚 just wish it didn鈥檛 take us that long.鈥�
One thing Frese can鈥檛 complain about is attendance. There was a good crowd, just shy of 11,000, on hand Sunday, filling most of the lower bowl and the first few rows of the 200 sections. Such is the case most nights in the Big 10, as former Minnesota coach Frese well knows.
鈥淲e have loved every minute of it,鈥� she said of the transition to a new home conference. 鈥淲e play every night in front of five to ten thousand fans per game instead of empty seats. All the hostile environments — the team has thrived off of it.鈥�
So far, they鈥檝e handled all challenges and appear poised to make a run at the conference title in their first year in the league.
鈥淚鈥檓 not handing them the Big 10 yet,鈥� said Nebraska coach Connie Yori after the loss. 鈥淏ut that seems like the direction it鈥檚 going.鈥�
Maryland can take one more step toward that goal with a win against fellow Big 10聽newcomer Rutgers on Tuesday night, but Frese knows it won鈥檛 be easy. By this point in the year, the Terps have a聽big target on their back and will get everyone鈥檚 best shot.
鈥淲e鈥檙e getting ready to play a lot of teams a second time,鈥� she said. “You have to have different wrinkles, because you鈥檝e already seen these teams once, and they鈥檙e more hungry to beat you. We鈥檙e striving for perfection. You don鈥檛 want to have any weaknesses.鈥�
