The only thing standing between No. 5-seed Maryland women’s basketball and a 13th Sweet 16 appearance under Brenda Frese is a task that’s quite familiar to the Terps’ head coach: battling North Carolina.
Frese took on the Tar Heels 23 times during her 12 seasons in the ACC and has an 11-12 record. Maryland struggled against them early in Frese’s tenure before posting a winning record in the 2010s.
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It will be the first time the teams have met since Maryland left the ACC in 2014. The Terps will have to take the No. 4-seed Tar Heels in front of a partisan crowd at Carmichael Arena on Sunday.
The game will tip off at noon and be broadcast on ESPN.
No. 15 North Carolina Tar Heels (27-7, 14-4 ACC)
North Carolina has been a consistent force throughout this season, winning a lot more than it has lost. While the Tar Heels don’t have a signature win, they did split a regular season home-and-home with their archrival Duke.
The Tar Heels hit their stride at the right time and have won 14 of their last 16 games heading into the matchup with the Terps. Head coach Courtney Banghart is in her sixth season with the Tar Heels and has never matched up with Maryland in that tenure.
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Players to watch
Nyla Harris, senior forward, 6-foot-2, No. 2 – Harris, an All-ACC first team honoree, has been a consistent force in the paint for North Carolina this season after three years with Louisville. She leads the Tar Heels in points (11.4) and rebounds (6.9) per game while making over 57% of her shots from the field.
Indya Nivar, senior guard, 5-foot-10, No. 24 – Nivar is a crafty two-way guard who can cause the Terps problems on both ends of the court. She averages almost three steals per game to go along with almost four assists and over 10 points an outing. She will likely be tasked with harassing Oluchi Okananwa on the perimeter.
Lanie Grant, sophomore guard, 5-foot-9, No. 0 – Grant is a microwave scorer and North Carolina’s best three-point shooter with a 43.1% rate. She hit four 3-pointers in the Tar Heels’ recent ACC tournament win over Virginia Tech — the Terps will have to try and prevent her from finding rhythm.
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Strength
Depth. Much like the Terps, the Tar Heels are capable of having four or more players score in double figures on any given night. They don’t have a true No. 1 option, but that makes the Terps scout more complicated, as it doesn’t have a clear focus.
Weakness
Free throws. North Carolina collectively shoots the rock at 69% from the charity stripe, good for 252nd in the nation. Free throws can be crucial down the stretch in March, and Maryland shoots it at a clip eight percentage points higher than the Tar Heels.
Three things to watch
1. Frese’s familiarity. Frese said it’s been a comfortable return to playing in Chapel Hill. She will try to beat her old rival on the road again.
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“I was really excited,” Frese said. “We’ve been able to get a lot of wins here, so for me it was really comfortable.”
2. Banghart vs. Maryland history. When Banghart was the coach of Princeton in the 2014-15 season, Frese and Maryland ended a streak of 31 straight wins for the Tigers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Banghart spoke highly of Frese and the respect she has for the history between their schools.
“The fact that she’s been able to be so loved at Maryland and win so many games consistently is remarkable,” Banghart said. “She’s also one of the better people in our business, so that’s really fun.”
3. Okananwa’s status. Maryland star Oluchi Okananwa played just 14 minutes in Maryland’s first round victory over Murray State as she struggled with foul trouble. In her limited time, though, Okananwa didn’t look like the usual dominant offensive force Maryland fans are used to seeing. The Terps will need her against a much more high-powered opponent on Sunday.
