Maryland Women’s Basketball Opens Season Ranked No. 4 In AP Poll; Men’s Team Ranked No. 21

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ) — The Maryland women’s hoops squad is No. 4 successful the Associated Press Preseason Poll, making this the 12th consecutive twelvemonth caput manager Brenda Frese’s squad has opened the play ranked successful the Top 25, the squad announced Tuesday.

On Monday, the men’s squad came successful astatine No. 21, the 5th clip successful the past 7 seasons Mark Turgeon’s Terps person been ranked earlier the archetypal tip-off.

The women’s squad is returning each 5 starters and each 8 of its champion scorers, led by inferior guards Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller, who some averaged much than 17 points per game.

Last year’s squad finished the regular play 24-2 and captured the Big Ten rubric aft going 17-1 successful league play, but the Terps were upset successful the NCAA Tournament by Texas successful the Sweet Sixteen, 64-61.

The Terps volition look aggregate large tests earlier the commencement of league play with 3 consecutive games against Top 10 opponents during a seven-day agelong successful precocious November, including a matchup against defending nationalist champion Stanford, ranked No. 3. They’ll besides look No. 1 South Carolina successful a Dec. 12 roadworthy matchup.

Four different Big Ten teams are successful the AP Preseason Poll: No. 8 Indiana, No. 9 Iowa, No. 11 Michigan and No. 17 Ohio State.

The women’s squad starts the play Nov. 9 with a crippled against Longwood astatine the XFINITY Center.

On the men’s side, elder All-Big Ten defender Eric Ayala, who averaged 15.1 points per game, returns this twelvemonth on with inferior guardant Donta Scott and inferior defender Hakim Hart.

Last year’s squad finished the regular play 16-13 and was thumped by Alabama successful the 2nd circular of the NCAA Tournament, 96-77.

Turgeon’s roster is bolstered by 4 transfers, headlined by erstwhile Georgetown guardant Qudus Wahab, who averaged 12.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and Rhode Island constituent defender Fatts Russell, who averaged 14.7 points and 4.5 assists per crippled connected his mode to All-A10 honors.

The Maryland men are 1 of 5 Big Ten teams successful the Top 25, including No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Purdue, No. 11 Illinois and No. 17 Ohio State.

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Maryland opens the play connected Nov. 9 with a location crippled against Quinnipiac.