Terrapins ready to set the pace
Offensively frenzied and top-seeded Maryland is braced to meet its polar opposite.
While Maryland will be out to force the pace, Vanderbilt will try to apply the brakes with defense when the teams collide tonight in the NCAA tournament Spokane Region Sweet 16 opener at 6.
Maryland, which features four starters from its 2006 national championship team, averages the second-most points in the nation (82.2). Four Terrapins score in double figures and the fifth is more than capable of reaching double digits.
The Terps know what they want to do.
“The key for us is to play loose and free,” said Maryland senior center Crystal Langhorne, the Terps’ leading scorer at 17.1 points per game. “That’s when we play our best basketball. We want to be up and down and get a lot of shots up. We want to score 80 points a game. Everybody knows that.”
Including Vanderbilt. So how do the Commodores match up with Maryland? They don’t, according to their coach.
“Individually, we don’t really match up with them,” Commodores coach Melanie Balcomb said. “I don’t think there is a matchup to worry about. But we play defense and have all year. It’s the best defensive team I’ve ever coached and we just held our last two opponents to 46 and 47.”
For the Terrapins, they’re on a mission to get back to the Final Four after seeing their season end abruptly in a second-round loss a year ago. To that end, they’ll try to get Vanderbilt to play faster than it desires.
“We don’t want to give out our game plan, but we’re going to need to speed them up,” Langhorne said. “They want to take their time and be patient. We’re going to really try to pressure them.”
To counter an up-tempo pace, the Commodores will throw several different defensive looks at the Terps.
“We’ll be ready for that,” Langhorne said. “We’ve played against several different types of teams this year. We’ll be ready for anything that (they) do defensively.”
Maryland, which ranks first in the nation in field-goal percentage (49.3), is coming off one of its worst shooting performances in its 76-64 win over Nebraska in the second round. The Terps shot 33.3 percent in the first half before warming up in the second half (51.5) to finish at 42.9 (27 of 63).
Shooting isn’t a concern for Langhorne, though.
“If we defend and rebound, we’re going to score,” Langhorne said.
The 6-foot-2 Langhorne and 6-4 senior Laura Harper (14.3 ppg) give the Terps a powerful inside tandem. Junior point guard Kristi Toliver (16.8 ppg, 7.5 assists) and junior guard Marissa Coleman (16 ppg) provide the perimeter balance that keep opponents from packing it inside.
The Terps have come a long way since they were 10-18 in their first season under coach Brenda Frese in 2002-03. Maryland followed the next two years with 18-13 and 22-10 records, respectively, advancing to NCAA second round both seasons.
The breakthrough year came in 2005-06. The Terps set a school record for wins (34-4) on their way to the NCAA title.
With four starters back last year, the Terps figured to have a good shot at defending their title. But their season ended in a loss to Mississippi, a team they had demolished by 31 points earlier.
Now Maryland wants to prove the 2006 championship wasn’t a fluke.