GREENVILLE, SC - Maryland women's basketball is heading back to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015 after the second-seeded Terps beat third-seeded Notre Dame, 76-59, on Saturday in the NCAA Sweet 16 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Terps (28-6) will take on the winner of No. 1 seed South Carolina/No. 4 seed UCLA on Monday night for a spot in the 2023 Final Four in Dallas.

Diamond Miller (18 total points) and Shyanne Sellers (18 points) combined for 17 points in the decisive third quarter to lead the Terps to victory. The duo had 30 combined points in the second half as Notre Dame scored 27 points total as a team.

Down by as many as eight midway through the second quarter, Maryland cut its deficit to one at halftime at 32-31. In the third quarter, the Terps broke open a 44-44 tie as Miller keyed a 9-0 run to put Maryland up 53-44 and the Terps never trailed again.

In addition to their scoring totals, Miller and Sellers played all-around games. Miller also had five rebounds, two assists, four steals and two blocks while Sellers contributed eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Lavender Briggs added 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Abby Meyers scored 11 points, nine in the first half, keeping the Terps in the game.

The Terps' defense pressured Notre Dame all game, forcing the Irish into a season-high 25 turnovers as Maryland had 15 steals, led by Meyers and Sellers, who each had four.

The Terps beat the Irish for the second time this season, also downing them 74-72, in South Bend on Dec. 1, 2022. In that game, Miller hit a game-winning buzzer-beater shot to lift Maryland to the victory in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Notre Dame finished its season at 27-6. The Irish were led by Sonia Citron, who had 14 points and seven rebounds.


Breaking Down The Action

• The Terps jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first minute of play thanks to a run-out following a steal and then a triple by Alexander. Maryland forced Notre Dame into five turnovers in the first four minutes of the game.
• After the first quarter, Maryland held a 16-14 lead thanks to forcing eight turnovers in the opening frame which led to five points for the Terps.
• Notre Dame used a 13-0 run in the second quarter to build out a 27-19 lead at the 4:13 mark as the Terps missed five shots in a row from the floor in that stretch. Meyers broke up the run with a triple from the far wing with 3:36 to go.
• Behind triples from Meyers, Miller and Alexander, the Terps finished the half on a 12-5 run to cut the deficit to 32-31 at the break. Meyers led all players with nine first-half points.
• In the third quarter, Sellers scored the Terps' first seven points helping Maryland regain the lead.
• A quick four points by Miller, including a three-point play, and then a driving lay-up from Sellers, part of a 9-0 run, gave the Terps their largest lead of the day, 53-44, at the 2:34 mark of the third. Notre Dame didn't make a field goal for the final 5:08 of the third quarter as Maryland scored 13 of the final 14 points in the stanza.
• The run extended to 17-1 early in the fourth quarter as the Terps opened a 61-45 lead with 8:35 left in the game.

Back In The Elite Eight

• The Terps advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 2015 campaign. Overall, it is the 15th time Maryland has reached the Elite Eight with six of those trips resulting in moving on to the Final Four.
• Maryland's other Elite Eight appearances came in - 1978 (AIAW), 1979 (AIAW), 1980 (AIAW), 1981 (AIAW), 1982, 1988, 1989, 1992, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2015.
• All-time, Maryland is 5-5 in the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament with one more win in the 1978 AIAW.

NCAA Tournament History

• This is the Terps' 13th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, dating back to 2010, and 18th in head coach Brenda Frese's 21 seasons at Maryland (with the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled). Maryland is 53-28 (.654) all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 41-16 (.719) under Frese.
• Maryland is now 11-4 (.733) all-time in the NCAA Sweet 16. The Terps will be making their seventh Elite Eight appearance under Frese.
• Maryland improves to 20-8 all-time as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament - the 20 wins are its most at any seeding (next is 12-4 as a No. 1 seed).
• The Terrapins have earned a top-four seed 22 times in their 30 NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 times in head coach Frese's 21 postseasons.
• Maryland improves to 6-5 all-time against Notre Dame and 1-2 against the Fighting Irish in the NCAA Tournament.

Terps Beating Ranked Foes

• With the win over 10th-ranked Notre Dame, the Terps are now 9-4 vs. ranked teams – five wins over Top-10 teams – with wins over No. 6 Iowa, No. 6 UConn, at No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 13 Michigan, No. 16 Ohio State, at No. 17 Baylor and No. 25 Arizona.
• The last time the Terps had nine or more Top-25 wins in a season was in 2014-15 with an 11-2 record on the way to the Final Four.
• The last time Maryland won five games against Top-10 teams in a season, was in the 2005-06 National Championship season, when they beat six Top-10 opponents.
• Since Frese took over in 2002-03, Maryland now has 94 wins over Associated Press top 25 teams, including 11 in the 2014-15 season, which set a new school record.
• Under Frese, Maryland also has 30 wins over AP Top 10 teams, with five this season including today.
• The Terrapins are now 94-74 against ranked teams over the last 20 years, all under Frese. Twenty-seven of those wins were on the road and 22 were at neutral sites.

1,000 Point Update

• Miller moved to 10th in career scoring at Maryland, as she now has 1,682. She passed current television broadcaster and Terps' legend Christy Winters-Scott, who scored 1,679 from 1987-90. Next on the list is No. 9 Shay Doron who scored 1,878 from 2004-07.
• Meyers now has 1,434 points in her career, with 947 in her three seasons of action at Princeton before joining the Terps this season.
• Three other Terps also have 1,000 career points: Briggs (1,204), Brinae Alexander (1,138), and Elisa Pinzan (1,029).

Double-Figures Update

• With 18 points, Miller reached double-figures for the 32nd time in 33 games played this season. She's recorded 11 points or more 87 times in her career of 115 games.
• Sellers also reached double-figures with 18 points, doing so for the 27th time this season and 40th time in just two seasons in College Park.
• Meyers netted 11 points for her 27th game in double-figures and her 78th on her career, with 51 coming at Princeton.
• Briggs had her ninth game with double-figures this season with 12 points and her 61st in her career.

Numbers and Nuggets

• With her 18 points in the game, Diamond Miller moved to tie for 10th in career scoring in the NCAA Tournament with 156 points and is tied with Deanna Tate (156 from 1986-89). She passed Laura Harper, who had 140 from 2006-08.
• Miller moved to eighth in single-season scoring as she now has 647. She passed Kristi Toliver (631 in 2007-08), Deanna Tate (633 in 1988-89), Alyssa Thomas (640 in 2012-13), Toliver (645 in 2008-09). Next with 653 is Marissa Coleman from 2008-09.
• Maryland trailed at halftime, 32-31, for just the ninth time this season. With the win the Terps improved to 4-5 when down at the intermission.

The Series

• Maryland now leads the all-time series, 6-5, with the Irish, winning twice this season. Notre Dame had won the previous four games between the teams.
• This was the third meeting between the teams in the NCAA Tournament, with Notre Dame winning the previous two. The teams met in the 2014 Final Four with Notre Dame winning, 87-61, in Nashville. Maryland also lost in the 2012 Elite Eight to Notre Dame, 80-49, in Raleigh.

Up Next

• The Terps (28-6 overall) will take on the winner of No. 4 seeded and 14th-ranked UCLA and No. 1 seeded and No. 1 ranked South Carolina on Monday, March 27 in Greenville, South Carolina in the Elite Eight. Game time and television information will be announced shortly.

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Jahmir Young returning just quite yet. As I've mentioned all season, heard nothing to make me think he was planning on coming back, but also fully expected Maryland to put a competitive NIL package together and making a pitch to keep him around for another year. It sounds like he is giving the idea of returning for one final year serious consideration. This would be absolutely huge if they can get Young back for another season. Young would almost certainly be preseason All-Big Ten and his return would likely make DHS' transition to the college ranks much easier. To be clear, I don't think this is a done deal, but he's giving it serious thought, which means it is still a possibility.

As for Hart and Scott, I still don't see either returning as of now. We should start hearing something definitive with all three soon.

Also, I'll just add here, Cornish is officially in the portal as of this morning. I know it was already announced he was leaving, but it became official today.

WOOHOO

nm

Hey Scott....how is that powerhouse, title-contending L1L?

Not 1 team past the Sweet 16 after 8 got in?

Yea, some league!!

From Adam Friedman, he's got some updates on a handful of some of the top prospects from the recent Team Flex 7v7 event, including several top Maryland targets. Of the, I think 6 prospects that Maryland is linked to in this story, I'd say they are in pretty good shape with all of them heading into the summer. I'm not saying they will land all of them, but I have them in the top group for each as they get closer to committing.

STORY

I see he's not signed. Is he waiting for the action in the Portal to start before deciding?

11:30.

Figure I'll start a running thread of potential transfer portal prospects as Maryland is expected to be active in this market with several scholarships available.

First name I heard a couple of days ago is Utah Valley big man Fardaws Aimaq. The 6-foot-11 Pacific Northwest Canada native averaged 18.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game this season. He had 24 points, 22 boards with 3 blocks and 5 steals earlier this season versus BYU and he had a 15 point, 15 board double-double this season versus Washington. He was WAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year LAST season after averaging 15 board per game. His coach at Utah Valley is former Stanford and NBA big man Mark 'Mad Dog' Madsen. He spent a prep year at Bridgeton Academy in Maine and began his college career at Mercer. He's 23 years old, so lots of experience. Among the schools that have reached out are Maryland, Seton Hall, Arizona, Alabama, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia and more. He'll also test the NBA waters again this offseason.

Maryland has also reached out to Penn State point guard Sam Sessoms. The Philly native began his college career at Binghamton before transferring to PSU where he played the past two seasons. He averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists this past season as the first guard off the bench. He scored in double figures in 9 of their last 13 games, including 17 points at Maryland and 18 points in an upset win over Ohio State in the B1G tourney.

Will keep this thread running and pin it up top as more names enter the portal and Maryland reaches out.

I mentioned this here on this board over a year ago, but Ed Cooley to Georgetown is finally official. This is a job he's badly wanted for several years now and when I inquired about him back before the Maryland search started I was told he had basically gotten all the raises he can get and he was waiting it out for his dream job at G'town.

It will be interesting to see what his staff looks like. I actually think he'll bring at least two of his guys with him. The one name I wondered if he'd try to add at G'town is Anthony Solomon, who was at ND with Brey, but it sounds like he will most likely follow Brey to South Florida. Hearing Brey's staff could have some other DMV flavor, also.

But with Willard and Cooley being old friends, I'd think they will likely at least discuss an annual home-and-home between the Terps and Hoyas, which I think both fan bases would really like to see happen.

We're ranked # 27 22-5.
WTG!!!

Put one in for Maryland to land four-star Terek Mccant. He will be committing tomorrow to a school. I feel confident this is headed the Terps direction.

I've watch this a few times, fantastic. Saw it live, this is great to see how they watch the game and communicate
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NM

Rivals250 four-star Florida ATH Terek McCant will announce tomorrow at 1 pm and I like where the Terps sit heading into the announcement.

Maryland is recruiting him as a slot while other schools as a RB. But definitely keep an eye out tomorrow afternoon.

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It’s obvious that the best and most athletic players are not coming to this conference. It seems the play style and ref calls have to change now….

I'm expecting some attrition this offseason, likely beginning with Baltimore redshirt freshman Ike Cornish, who struggled to get playing time this season after sitting out last year.

I think it is also likely that foreign big men Pavlo Dzubia and Arnaud Revaz will be moving on this offseason as they haven't played at all during their careers at Maryland.

As for the three seniors with an extra COVID year, as I've been saying throughout the season, I have still heard little to nothing to make me think any of the three are coming back and as of now, I would expect all three to be moving on this offseason.

So where does that leave the Terps? That would be eight players outgoing with a four-man freshman class currently coming in. That leaves Willard with four additional scholarships to use on players in the transfer portal.

The two biggest needs, in my opinion, are a ball handler and an experienced big, with a sniper as a close third. I know I've mentioned this quite a few times, but despite his assist numbers this season, I still don't see Deshawn Harris-Smith coming in and handling full-time ball handling duties in the Big Ten as a freshman. This is based on things I've heard from numerous sources who have watched him extensively over the past year. That said, if Willard believes he is ok with just Jahari Long and DHS, the biggest need would then be a sniper on the wing to replace Don Carey. As for bigs, while Patrick Emilien was a pleasant surprise this season, ideally they need someone bigger and with more length who can be more of an offensive threat in the Big Ten. I also believe that ideally they are looking for a four man with some face-up skills that they can play next to Reese in the middle.

As for some of the possible portal names I've recently mentioned, I'll address a few here. With regards to Benny Williams who just a few weeks ago I saw as a real possibility to return home to play for Maryland, that ship appears to have sailed. I was hearing from multiple sources at the time he was unhappy and looking to return home but with former Takeover coach Red Autry replacing Boeheim and him adding another Takeover coach in GW associate head coch Brendan Straughn to the staff, it looks like Williams is not going to go anywhere.

Maryland has also wasted little time in getting the ball rolling with Towson transfer Nick Timberlake, who they have already done a Zoom meeting with. So it appears he is a real possibility along with Harvard transfer Chris Ledlum, who they seem to really like also. A lot more names are going to pop up in the portal starting tomorrow as things are going to start really heating up with the postseason winding down.

So time to move forward. I bet Willard will be blowing up the phones this morning. So many questions remain.

1. Who is the PG next season?

2. Does Hart and Scott stay another year as I think they can? Sorry but time to overrecruit them.

3. Since most of you are experts here, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know you need a combo of 2-3 big men in the middle. Where will they come from?

4. Shooters, shooters, shooters.

5. I see a bright future and could give a rat's ass how much better other conferences do. Worry about your own house first.

6. Let's get Kansas in the B1G.

COLLEGE PARK, MD - Maryland is headed back to the Sweet 16 for the 20th time in school history after the the second-seeded and seventh-ranked Terrapins beat Arizona, 77-64 on Sunday evening at the XFINITY Center.

The Terps (27-6 overall) will take on No. 3 seeded and No. 10-ranked Notre Dame (27-5) on Saturday, March 25 in Greenville, South Carolina in the Sweet 16. Ticket, gametime and television information will be announced shortly. Maryland beat the Irish, 74-72, in South Bend earlier this season on Dec. 1, 2022.

This the 11th Sweet 16 appearance for the Terps under Brenda Frese and third in a row.

Four Terps scored in double-figures led by Diamond Miller who scored 20 of her 24 points in the second half, including 13 in the third quarter. Miller had six rebounds and a career-high tying seven assists.

Shyanne Sellers had another all-around game with 15 points, five assists and five rebounds.

Faith Masonius tallied 12 points as she continued her clutch play in the NCAA Tournament. Brinae Alexander also scored 12 points.

After jumping out to a 12-2 lead, Arizona outscored Maryland 25-15 in the second quarter to lead 33-32 at halftime. But the Terps took control in the third quarter, scoring the first nine points of the period to regain a commanding lead and never trailed again. Maryland outscored Arizona, 29-9 in the decisive third quarter, making 11-of-14 shots in the stanza – for the Terps' best shooting quarter this entire season (78.6 percent). The Terps' defense limited Arizona to just 3-of-15 from the floor over the 10 minutes.

Maryland tallied 20 assists on 36 made field goals.

Arizona finishes its season at 22-10 overall. Cate Reese led the Wildcats in scoring with 19 points.


Breaking Down The Action

• Capped off by a runout in transition where Sellers hit Miller perfectly in stride for an easy lay-up, Maryland scored the first six points of the game and forced Arizona to burn a timeout early.
• Maryland led 17-8 at the end of the first quarter thanks to suffocating defense, forcing the Wildcats into seven turnovers and just 3-of-13 shooting in the first 10 minutes of play. The Terps scored the last five points of the frame, capped off by a triple from Alexander.
• The Wildcats used a 7-0 run late in the second quarter to take a 33-32 lead into halftime. Faith Masonius and Brinae Alexander each scored eight in the period to lead the way for the Terps. Arizona shot 12-of-19 for 63 percent in the second quarter as the Wildcats outscored Maryland 26-6 in the paint in the first half.
• A five-point possession from Diamond Miller early in the third quarter put Maryland up 39-33.
• The Terps had their highest scoring quarter of the day in the third, exploding for 29 points to make it a 61-42 game heading into the final 10 minutes of action. Miller scored 13 points in the frame, making all six of her shots from the floor.
• The Terps continued to roll throughout the fourth, successfully handling Arizona's uptick in defensive pressure

Elite Sweet Sixteen Company

• The Terps become the first of eight teams this season looking to reach the Sweet 16 for the last three consecutive years (2021, 2022, 2023). Connecticut, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, South Carolina, Stanford, and Texas are the other teams looking to do so as well.

NCAA Tournament History

• This is the Terps' 13th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, dating back to 2010, and 18th in head coach Brenda Frese's 21 seasons at Maryland (with the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled). Maryland is 52-28 (.650) all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 40-16 (.714) under Frese.
• Maryland is now 15-10 (.600) all-time in the NCAA Second Round. The Terps will be making their 11th Sweet 16 appearance under Frese including the third consecutive trip.
• Maryland is now 27-5 all-time in NCAA Tournament games in College Park and 21-4 in NCAA Tourney games at the XFINITY Center.
• Maryland improves to 19-8 all-time as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament - the 19 wins are its most at any seeding (next is 12-4 as a No. 1 seed).
• The Terrapins have earned a top-four seed 22 times in their 30 NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 times in head coach Frese's 21 postseasons.
• Maryland improves to 4-0 all-time against Arizona, Frese's alma mater, with this being the first meeting between the two programs since the 2006 season. This was the first meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Terps Beating Ranked Foes

• With the win over 25th-ranked Arizona, the Terps are now 8-4 vs. ranked teams with wins over No. 6 Iowa, No. 6 UConn, at No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 13 Michigan, No. 16 Ohio State and at No. 17 Baylor.
• The last time the Terps had eight or more Top-25 wins in a season was in 2014-15 with an 11-2 record on the way to the Final Four.
• Since Brenda Frese took over in 2002-03, Maryland now has 93 wins over Associated Press top 25 teams, including 11 in the 2014-15 season, which set a new school record.
• Under Frese, Maryland also has 29 wins over AP Top 10 teams, with four this season.
• The Terrapins are now 93-74 against ranked teams over the last 20 years, all under Frese. Twenty-seven of those wins were on the road and 21 were at neutral sites.

My nephew got a full academic scholly to Maryland and will be a Terp next year. He lost his dad a few months ago and this was a huge lift for all of us. So proud of him and excited that we’ll have this to bond over. Nothing like suffering as a Terps fan to bring people together. Ha. At least he likes Lax. We still own that sport.

after one quarter.

I am still thinking about the unreal sequence of saves made by Brian Ruppel (true freshman), allowing the Terps to ultimately defeat the 'Hoos. Replayed the saves and end of the game last night, and replayed it all over again this morning.

That said, it would have been easy to give up the Lax win for a Terps basketball win last night (if we could only beat one #1).

Mark

5:30 in CP or ESPN

Terps and Alabama now set to top at approximately 10:05 pm ET.

Big news is that Brandon Miller is not at 100%, but as we saw in the Houston game, that doesn’t necessarily mean much as Sasser was supposedly nowhere near 100% and went for 22 tonight.