Terps-Hoyas: Take Two?

As Brenda Frese and her husband drove home from Comcast Center on Nov. 16, the Terrapin women's basketball coach wished she wouldn't have to wait until next season to redeem the team's ugly loss at Georgetown that night.

"I said, ‘I hope we get to see them in the NCAA Tournament,'" Frese recalled.

On Monday, Frese and the Terps may have gotten that chance. With the Terps earning a No. 4 seed in the East region and the Hoyas seeded fifth in the same bracket, a second-round rematch Tuesday seems likely.

Whether that's a good thing for the Terps, though, remains to be seen.

The teams first met in the Terps' second game of the season, and despite a sloppy effort starting from the opening tip, the Terps hung around and took a late lead before ultimately faltering, 53-45.

In what was their worst offensive performance of the season, the Terps shot just 17.5 percent from the floor and turned the ball over an egregious 29 times.

"I think we definitely beat ourselves," guard Kim Rodgers said. "A lot of people didn't play as well as they would have wanted to."

As the Hoyas entered their home court that day laden with veterans who could complement standout sophomore guard Sugar Rodgers, the Terps took the floor still trying to find their team's identity.

It was the first true test for a team with no seniors and six freshmen, and that lack of experience shone through in the loss.

Now, though, the Terps are a decidedly different team.

"I think we're putting a lot of the pieces together," center Lynetta Kizer said. "I think we're capable of playing a 40-minute game. We're stronger now; we know how to talk to each other."

The question now becomes whether the Terps' in-season improvement has been enough to gain an advantage over their cross-town rivals.

The Hoyas, who play an in-your-face, pressing style of defense similar to that of Georgia Tech — which proved too much for the Terps in their ACC Tournament opener last week — have had an up-and-down season after handing No. 1 seed Tennessee one of its only two losses of the year.

"I think both teams are different than the second game of the season," Frese said. "We've grown up ... and, watching the scores through the season, they're a different team as well."

If the Terps can get past No. 13 seed Saint Francis (Pa.) and the Hoyas step over 12th-seeded Princeton on Sunday, Frese will get the chance at the rematch she longed for four months ago.

Only this time around, she would get the game at Comcast Center, not Georgetown's McDonough Arena. And for a team that has lost just twice this season on its home court, that may be just the edge the Terps need.

"To be able to sleep in your own bed, to not have to travel — we hope it gives us an extra push," Frese said. "But it's the NCAA Tournament. You're going to get any team's best shot."

The obvious focus for the Terps' preparation this week is the Red Flash. But the chance for earning a shot at redemption alone may be enough to spur the Terps to another date with the Hoyas.

"Obviously, we have to focus on the Saint Francis game first," Rodgers said. "But the idea of being able to play Georgetown again looks good to us. ... The freshmen have stepped up; everybody's matured. I think we're in a good place."

cwalsh at umdbk dot com