Women's basketball’s ACC title quest gets seedy

The ultimate goal for the Terrapin women's basketball team at this weekend's ACC Tournament is obvious enough.

"Oh, yeah," forward Alyssa Thomas said, "we're trying to win it all."

But when the Terps open up their quest for the program's 10th ACC Championship against No. 5 seed Georgia Tech today, their efforts in Greensboro, N.C., could have far-reaching implications when the NCAA Tournament kicks off in two weeks.

According to Charlie Creme, ESPN.com's women's basketball bracketologist, the No. 13 Terps would be slotted as a No. 4 seed if the selection committee met today. And while Creme explained there's not much room for movement at this point in the season — the Terps, in his view, won't be seeded higher than No. 3 or lower than No. 5 — he still emphasized the importance of conference tournaments.

"All of this depends on what everyone else does as well. Nothing happens in a vacuum," Creme wrote in an e-mail. "[Conference tournaments] aren't specifically important, there isn't a specific value placed on them. Largely, they are more games in which teams can improve their profiles by getting more wins and, in the case of the ACC, usually against quality opposition."

While coach Brenda Frese is ever-conscious of the Terps' tournament resumé, she insisted she and her team remain focused on the present.

"I don't go look at the brackets. Too many things can happen to you, even post-season in the ACC Tournament," Frese said. "We're just focused on now."

The fourth-seeded Terps now have the luxury of pushing for an ACC crown and turning their focus to the Big Dance thereafter largely because of one comfort: The Terps will play the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Comcast Center.

When the Terps hosted the first two rounds in 2009 as a No. 1 seed, they dominated in each of their games, winning by an average of 22 points.

"It's great. Last time we hosted, we had the highest attendance [of any host site]," Frese said. "It's great to stay in your same routine, sleeping in your own beds and having your home environment."

So while Creme believes the Terps' seeding is anything but certain at this point, it doesn't much matter to Frese and the Terps. When they take the court at Greensboro Coliseum this morning, they'll start their quest for an ACC title largely devoid of the stresses of NCAA Tournament placement.

"To me, the seeding isn't nearly as important as the bracket and its different matchups," Frese said.

But with Selection Monday just 10 days away, the Terps (23-6, 9-5 ACC) can pad their resumé with a deep run, starting with today's rematch with the Yellow Jackets (22-9, 9-5).

The last time the two met on Feb. 3 in Atlanta, a back-and-forth game ended in a buzzer-beating triumph for the Terps. While they hope they won't need such heroics today, a similar result would be a solid first step toward their ACC and NCAA Tournament aspirations.

"Great teams go down there with a chance to leave their legacy," Frese said. "The ACC Tournament is a tremendous opportunity to be able to go in and do something special as a team. We're absolutely focused; we'll see what happens."

cwalsh@umdbk.com