After long wait, women's basketball ready for NCAA Tournament

Everything the Terrapin women's basketball team has strived for begins Sunday.

What happened in a successful regular season, one that featured a complete comeback from last year's trip to the WNIT, has become largely irrelevant.

Now, the second season for the fourth-seeded Terps, who begin their NCAA Tournament on Sunday against No. 13 seed Saint Francis (Pa.), is all that matters.

It likely won't get off to a rough start. When it arrives at Comcast Center fresh off a Northeastern Conference championship, the Red Flash will present the Terps with a challenge they haven't faced in some time — making sure none of March Madness' glass slippers fit.

"Everybody's looking to be that Cinderella team," guard Kim Rodgers said. "You've got to bring your game. No team's going to roll over for us at this point in the season."

While Saint Francis (22-11) shouldn't present the Terps with many matchup issues — the Red Flash had just one game against a ranked opponent, a 28-point loss to West Virginia — the threat of a first-round upset still remains.

For coach Brenda Frese, her task becomes one more focused on mental preparation than on-court schemes.

"The biggest thing for our kids is not being in awe of the NCAA Tournament," Frese said of her senior-less squad. "For our freshmen and sophomores, being ready to play and playing for 40 minutes where you're not nervous [is the key]."

For one of women's basketball's more storied programs, the Terps' Big Dance opener at Comcast Center is a unique one.

The Terps (23-7) lean on freshman forward Alyssa Thomas as their spark and have just three players — center Lynetta Kizer and guards Anjale Barrett and Rodgers — with any NCAA Tournament experience.

But that trio, whose members all have established leadership roles for the Terps, has stepped forward to ensure their inexperienced teammates know what to expect.

"I was telling some of my teammates, ‘I'm ready to go,'" Rodgers said. "I've been in the tournament before and I know how awesome it is to have the opportunity. It's been a long lay-off [since the team's March 4 loss to Georgia Tech], and I think everybody's really excited."

A potential rematch with fifth-seeded Georgetown and a chance to knock off defending national champion Connecticut may be waiting just down the road after a matchup with Saint Francis. But despite the possibility of facing marquee Big East opponents shortly, Frese has chosen to focus on the past to prepare her squad for the Red Flash.

"You have to understand, you can't take anyone lightly. Your nonconference schedule prepares you for a team like Saint Francis," Frese said. "They're a team that all their bigs are guards and they can all shoot it. They're a different kind of team that we haven't played in a while."

With their lofty aspirations for this season's NCAA Tournament, the Terps will look to harness the energy of their home court and start down what they believe is a road to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

At the very least, their season would be left unfinished if they're unable to step over Saint Francis.

"Everybody's going for the same thing," Kizer said. "We've got to play six games to get another [national championship] banner."

cwalsh@umdbk.com