Injuries are hitting Maryland, but still feature a transfer star in Kaylene Smikle.
When the Big Ten paired teams together, many of them were due to geographical rivalry. The Los Angeles teams were matched up, Michigan and Michigan State paired up but for the No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball team, it was the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins. Outside of the top 5 battles in Southern California, it’s the toughest home-and-home battle in the conference.
On Thursday, the Bucks and Terps play their first game against each other, but the two ranked sides aren’t entering it in good shape. Ohio State lost its first game of the season against a 9-9 Penn State team without a single Big Ten win. On Monday, things were even worse for the Terrapins.
To talk about the uphill battle Maryland has this week, and possibly for the next few weeks, Max Schaeffer of Testudo Times gave up his time to discuss key injuries, the addition of a former Big Ten standout freshman, and the no good, very bad, Tuesday for the Terps.
Land-Grant Holy Land: Maryland had a rough Monday on and off the court. Earlier in the day, the program announced Bri McDaniel is out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear. Before we get into the game against Texas that followed the announcement, what do the Terps miss with McDaniel out?
Testudo Times: Bri McDaniel is Maryland women’s basketball’s beating heart in my opinion. She is the ultimate competitor, elite defensively and can get downhill at will. Probably most importantly, she is extremely poised and feels like when they need to make a run they always lean on her. In short without her they miss a ton.
LGHL: A few hours later, the No. 7 Texas Longhorns absolutely handled Maryland but Shyanne Sellers leaving the game limping is the long-term concern. Any word on how Sellers is doing?
TT: Yes, that game was already out of hand when Sellers went down, and her going out shot down any chance of a comeback. The word right now is that it’s a contact injury to her right knee, she was able to limp off the court, but she looked to be in a lot of pain. I would be surprised if she’s available in the next few weeks, let alone against Ohio State.
LGHL: There have been a number of injuries plaguing this side over the last few weeks but still have a ranked win against Minnesota and played the No. 4 USC Trojans to the brink before falling late. When Maryland is at their best, what are they doing better than most sides this season?
TT: With McDaniel and Sellers, I think this could easily be a Final Four team. They were doing a lot of important things really well, one being rebounding. Maryland has had one of the best rebounding margins in the country, although it was overmatched against Texas’ bigs.
Another thing that made Maryland hard to stop was offensive depth, when healthy they had 7 players capable of putting up double digits on any given night. It’s not a big 3 point shooting team, but it has the ability to get hot. On the defensive end, the Terps haven’t always been consistent, but on their day can make your life really difficult. Saylor Poffenbarger and Christina Dalce are great on the interior defensively.
LGHL: Kaylene Smikle was the big transfer in the offseason, joining from the neighboring Rutgers Scarlet Knights. How has she adjusted to Brenda Frese’s game?
TT: Smikle has been the most impactful newcomer on the offensive end, and Maryland’s second option behind Sellers. She can hurt teams from deep when she’s feeling it, but she’s at her best attacking the rim where she’s great at drawing fouls. My comparison for her is James Harden.
Frese has challenged her to be better defensively, where her effort can be variable, but when she wants to be she can be a huge pest and force steals on the perimeter. Maryland will really need her to play at an elite level without McDaniel and Sellers.