MARYLAND TERRAPINS
Coach: Brenda Frese. Tenth season, 221-81; 278-111 overall
Key player: G Alyssa Thomas. Thomas was named to the Wooden Award preseason top 30 list, and was last season’s ACC Rookie of the Year. Thomas is the team’s best scoring threat, and is expected to become an even more consistent player this season.
Biggest loss: C Lynetta Kizer. Kizer has been suspended from the team for an undetermined length of time for a violation of team rules. Kizer was second-team All ACC last year, and the team was counting on her senior leadership this year.
Best addition: G Brene Moseley. Moseley was a standout at Paint Branch high school her junior year, missing her senior season with a torn ACL. Frese calls her ability to make plays as a scoring point guard a tremendous asset.
Best case: The Maryland women will win the ACC this season and make a run for an NCAA championship.
Worst case: If the team has to play without Kizer for a significant portion of the season and shows a lack of consistency, the Terps could finish worse than least year’s 9-5 ACC record and make an early exit from postseason play.
Three key games:
• Georgetown at Maryland, Nov. 13. The AP ranks the Hoyas 10th, and the Terps 11th; while the ESPN/USA Coaches Poll has the order reversed. The Hoyas made it to the Sweet 16 last season.
• Maryland at Miami, Jan. 12. The Hurricanes are have all of their starters returning from last season, when they won a share of the ACC regular season title with Duke.
• Maryland at Duke, Jan. 22. Duke shared last season’s ACC title with Miami, and had the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation for the second straight season.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.