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Maryland women’s basketball ranked No. 20 in preseason AP Top 25
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- Maryland women’s basketball ranked No. 20 in preseason AP Top 25
Maryland women's basketball is picking up right where it left off.
After finishing last season at No. 20 in the final Associated Press poll, the Terps will begin the 2026-27 campaign in the same spot, earning the No. 20 ranking in the AP preseason Top 25.
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The Terps received 222 points in the poll, which was released Tuesday. South Carolina claimed the No. 1 spot, followed by UConn, USC, Duke and Michigan. Defending national champion UCLA was ranked No. 11.
The Big Ten led all conferences with nine teams in the rankings, with USC at No. 3, Michigan at No. 5, Iowa at No. 10, UCLA at No. 11, Washington at No. 16, Minnesota at No. 17, Ohio State at No. 18, and Illinois at No. 23.
The ranking offers an early measure of expectations for Maryland coach Brenda Frese, who is beginning her 25th season leading the program. Frese has guided the Terps to three Final Four appearances and a national championship in 2006.
Last year, the team finished sixth in the conference before bowing out of the NCAA tournament in the second round.
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The Maryland roster has seen significant turnover, with the likes of guards Kaylene Smikle and Yarden Garzon and forward Saylor Poffenbarger no longer with the team. But it does return its leading scorer from last season, guard Oluchi Okananwa, who averaged 17.8 points per game.
During the offseason, the Terps also added forward Nunu Agara, a transfer from Stanford.
Okananwa led the team with 23 points in Maryland's 93-82 exhibition victory against Virginia Tech on Monday, while Agara tallied 20 points of her own in her Maryland debut. Guard Bri McDaniel, who missed last season because of an ACL injury , also returned to action and scored 17 points.
Maryland also added local talent in freshman guard Jordyn Jackson, an Arlington, Virginia, local, who stayed close to home to continue her basketball career in College Park. Coming in as a five-star recruit, Jackson became Frese's highest-rated commitment since Angel Reese in 2020.
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With a mix of returning production, new transfers and a highly regarded freshman, Maryland will face an early test when it opens the season against top-ranked South Carolina on Nov. 2 in Paris, France. Before then, the Terps will host No. 11 North Carolina in an exhibition Saturday at the XFINITY Center in College Park.
The first regular-season AP Top 25 poll is scheduled to be released Nov. 9.
Have a news tip? Contact Vivian Yao at vyao@baltsun.com and 410-332-6200.
