Women's basketball picked to finish No. 3 in ACC

The last time the Terrapins women's basketball team had two players on the preseason All-ACC team, the Terps went on to win the 2008-09 ACC regular-season and tournament championships.

Three seasons later, the Terps are hoping for similar results.

Senior center Lynetta Kizer and sophomore forward Alyssa Thomas were named to the ACC's preseason all-conference team yesterday, marking the first time since 2008 that the Terps have had any players selected.

The Terps were also picked to finish third in the ACC in the conference's preseason poll yesterday, behind only Miami — which received 30 of the 40 first-place votes — and Duke. The Terps were ranked No. 11 in The Sporting News' preseason poll, five spots behind the Blue Devils and one behind the Hurricanes.

As one of just three Terps seniors, Kizer will again be one of the team's leaders on the floor this season. A second-team All-ACC selection last season, Kizer averaged more than 13 points and seven rebounds per game. She was also part of Team USA's gold-medal squad at the World University Games this summer.

"[Kizer] has come back even more vocal on the court with her presence with us, as well as she's really shown tremendous range," coach Brenda Frese said last week. "We're allowing her a lot more freedom that's going to be fun to watch for her senior campaign."

Thomas, last season's ACC Rookie of the Year, will also be a vital cog in the Terps' lineup this season. A pure scorer on the wing, Thomas led the team with 14.5 points per game in her freshman season.

"[Thomas] is someone who has come back and continued to show us, as a coaching staff, what makes her so special," Frese said. "She's a matchup nightmare — just a tremendous, versatile player who is going to continue to do great things for our program."

Florida State forward Cierra Bravard and Miami guards Riquna Williams and Shenise Johnson — the Preseason Player of the Year — were also named to the All-ACC team. The predicted order of finish in the ACC behind the Terps is Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Boston College, Wake Forest, Clemson and Virginia Tech.

vitale@umdbk.com