Maryland faces Murray State in the primary spherical of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. WTOP’s Dave Preston previews the D.C.-area groups in the dance.
Get your sheets in early! The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament begins at 11:30 a.m. Friday, which means you’ve obtained to get your picks locked in somewhat earlier.
I’ve gone on report a number of occasions saying I’m not a fan of basketball earlier than midday until it’s a badly acted present on NBC with Reggie Theus as the pinnacle coach (“Hang Time” gave us a catchy theme tune in addition to Anthony Anderson).
This yr’s Final Four is in Phoenix, and the highway for Maryland (23-8,11-7 Big Ten) is not going to start in College Park for the second time in three years. A loss in the second spherical of the Big Ten Tournament moved the Terps from a No. 4 to a No. 5 seed, which means they wouldn’t host the primary weekend as they’ve 12 occasions over the past 15 years.
“I’ve had plenty of teams, whether it’s at home or on the road. It’s a mindset this time of year,” coach Brenda Frese mentioned after the sphere was introduced Sunday. “It doesn’t come down to a building, it comes down to a mindset.”
The Terps face Murray State in the primary spherical. The 31-3 Racers went 19-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference and have received 15 straight behind an offense that’s ranked fifth greatest in Division I.
“I know that they try to score in the first eight to 10 seconds,” Frese mentioned. “They’re a high-powered offensive team.”
No. 4 seed North Carolina and No. 13 Western Illinois spherical out the foursome in Chapel Hill, with the possible opponent in Fort Worth for the regional semifinals being No. 1 and defending nationwide champion UConn.
“Any team that’s in your bracket now can play,” Frese mentioned. “We have the utmost respect for every opponent.”
Terps and Racers tip off at 3 p.m. Friday.
Other locals
Virginia Tech (23-9, 12-6 ACC) will get a No. 9 seed and faces No. 8 Oregon (22-12) in Austin on Friday at 1:30 p.m., with the winner possible going through No. 1 seed Texas.
Howard (26-7, 13-1 MEAC) will get a No. 14 seed and visits Ohio State on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The Bisons led their convention in scoring (66.9 factors per recreation) however they battle a Buckeyes workforce that ranks thirteenth nationally in scoring 81.7 per outing.
Virginia (20-11, 11-7 ACC) misplaced three straight and eight of 14 to seek out its spot in the First Four, going through Arizona State on Thursday night time with the winner assembly Georgia Saturday.
Get breaking information and day by day headlines delivered to your e-mail inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This web site isn’t meant for customers positioned throughout the European Economic Area.
