Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Greenville, SC–
After a solid performance against Notre Dame, the Terps have one goal in their sights tonight… Final Four. However, that comes via way of South Carolina, who Brenda Frese has yet to figure out. Can tonight be different? Can this be the year she takes this Senior led squad back to the Final Four?
Maryland now finds itself in its 11th Elite Eight in program history (5-5). It last reached a regional final in 2015, taking down Tennessee before falling to eventual national champion UConn in the Final Four.
South Carolina is the best team in the country and has been for the past two seasons. Riding a 41-game winning streak, the Gamecocks are looking to become the 10th-ever undefeated national champions.
So, what’s the X factor for the Terps tonight? Diamond Miller. Back in November, she was not in the line-up against South Carolina, so Dawn Staley and her coaching staff has not seen her on the court. Frese has made some adjustments to this squad since then. Look Miller to be a big part of the offense tonight.
As most the Terp faithful will remember, that game in November did not end well for the Terps with a 81-56 loss, but as many have said since their last meeting, this Terps team was completely different and finally knows their roles on the court.
Maryland is 9-4 against ranked teams this season, with five wins against top-10 teams. The last time Maryland had five top-10 wins in a season was in 2005-06, when it won the national championship. Frese is looking to take Maryland to its seventh Final Four in program history.
Game Time 7:00pm
