Maryland women’s basketball’s 2026-27 season tipped off Monday in Paris with a loss against No. 1 South Carolina. The defeat to the nation’s top-ranked team wasn’t a major surprise, but it did illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of a team that hopes to return to the top of the Big Ten this season.
With one game already under the Terps’ belts, Testudo Times’ women’s basketball reporters predict this season top players and records and make bold takes.
Player of the Year
Rachel’s pick: Oluchi Okananwa
Who’s surprised?
Okananwa has become the face of Maryland women’s basketball. The Boston native led the Terps in points per game and steals last season, and she leads her current teammates in rebounds. She earned two Big Ten player of the week nods and an All-American honorable mention from the AP.
Last year, Okananwa logged nine conference games with more than 20 points, including a career-high 34-point game against Indiana.
Even before her time with the Terps began, Okananwa was a standout star. She was ranked No. 27 in the high school class of 2023 by ESPNW, earned ACC Tournament Most Outstanding Player during her time at Duke, and averaged 10.1 points as a sophomore when she got a taste of what Maryland’s been craving — a conference tournament title.
Okananwa is vital to Maryland’s success. It’s no secret that she’s a physical leader on this team, and she has the potential to lead this team to great success.
Chase’s pick: Nunu Agara
The senior Stanford transfer will have a lot of weight to carry in the paint for Maryland. To put it plainly, Maryland will not be the biggest team in 2026-27. It lost 6-foot-2 Saylor Poffenbarger,6-foot-3 Yarden Garzon and 6-foot-3 Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu.
Frese brought the 6-foot-2 Agara to Maryland to be the frontcourt centerpiece. She backed that up in Maryland’s two exhibition games, where she scored over 20 points in both of them. She scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the exhibition win against No. 12 North Carolina.
She made the All-ACC second team in her sophomore and junior years at Stanford. She averaged 15.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists last season.
Agara will be one of Maryland’s most important defensive pieces and will need to be active hands on the defensive glass.
Biggest breakout
Chase’s pick: Trinity Jones
With the turnover in Maryland’s roster, some of Maryland’s newcomers were going to have to come in ready to contribute. Jones has done that, starting in both exhibition games for the Terps. The freshman ranked seventh in the 2026 recruiting class in the 247Sports composite rankings.
The 6-foot-1 guard has already made a strong impression in her two appearances. She finished with seven points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in the exhibition win against Virginia Tech and added nine points, four rebounds and two assists against No. 12 North Carolina.
With Maryland being such a small team, she has been featured a lot in the post. She showed great game recognition when getting the ball down low and knew the right plays to make. And as Frese explained it, she has a very high motor on defense and the glass. Jones will be a player that Frese will be able to rely on down the stretch in games and should only be featured more as the season progresses.
Rachel’s pick: Bri McDaniel
Does it count as a breakout if she’s a fifth-year player? When she was sidelined for almost a year and a half due to a torn ACL, I think so.
McDaniel is effectively on a brand new team, filled with players she’s never played with before, coming off of a heartbreaking injury and an intense surgery, and preparing to play three ranked teams before the end of the calendar year. Her production in the exhibition games showed that she is capable of succeeding, though.
McDaniel was one of only five Big Ten players named to the Cheryl Miller Award watch list Wednesday, given to the top small forward in the country. McDaniel is poised to re-make a name for herself in her final year of eligibility.
Bold prediction
Chase’s pick: Maryland will have two players on the Big Ten All-Defensive team
UCLA, USC and Minnesota each had two players earn the Big Ten All-Defensive team honors in the 2025-26 season. I think it will be Maryland’s turn in the 2026-27 season.
Okananwa will enter the season as a candidate for the Big Ten defensive player of the year. She made the All-Defensive team last season after averaging 2.2 steals per game. She is a pesky defender and has shown no signs of slowing down in Maryland’s two exhibition games, where she’s combined for seven steals.
It’s no question that Okananwa will be in the running, but Agara might just add her name to the list as well. She will be a defensive mainstay in the paint for the Terps, who will need her to contest and rebound at a high level.
Frese already stressed her importance as an anchor after Maryland was outrebounded and allowed 40 paint points to Virginia Tech in their first exhibition game.
For Maryland to take another step forward this year, Agara will need to establish herself as a reliable presence inside. If she can do that while Okananwa keeps up her pressure on the perimeter, Maryland could find itself with two Big Ten All-Defensive members.
Rachel’s pick: Maryland is home to the Big Ten Player of the Year
Bri McDaniel. Nunu Agara. Oluchi Okananwa. When it comes to the conference’s top player, Maryland has many strong candidates.
In her first year in the Big Ten, Okananwa averaged 17.8 points, two assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. Not only is her stat line impressive, but she’s also a graceful yet physically dominant addition to the Terps.
Agara, as Chase mentioned, has the responsibility of anchoring Maryland’s defense, but it’s a task I think she absolutely can handle. Agara is also incredibly versatile. In the first exhibition game against Virginia Tech, she finished with 20 points and five rebounds.
McDaniel is returning after nearly two years away from the court, but it’s almost like she never left. In two exhibition games, she logged 27 points and eight defensive rebounds. She is exceptional at pushing through defenders to make layups from the halo. The trio of women will be forces to be reckoned with once conference play begins.
Record prediction
Chase’s pick: 21-9
Maryland finished the 2025-26 season 23-7. The Terps had a lot of turnover in the roster and added inexperienced talent in key positions. I think a little regression could be in order, especially with how much harder the schedule looks.
Maryland scheduled the preseason top two teams as non-conference opponents and will see two more top-five teams in Big Ten play. That’s a big step up from the one top-five matchup the Terps had last season against UCLA, where they lost by 30 points.
Maryland will be led by one of the more exciting backcourts in the country with Okananwa, McDaniel, Addi Mack and Lea Bartelme. That will be enough to give them a high ceiling in conference play, but they’ll have a harder time matching up against much bigger teams, especially early in the season.
With the amount of inexperienced players being forced into big roles for Maryland, I think they’ll be a team to watch come tournament time when they have more time to play together and figure out their identity. They will also be afforded a chance to gain momentum before the season closes with an easier slate of games in February.
Rachel’s pick: 25-5
Chase said the Terps filled holes on the roster with inexperienced talent, and I do agree. However, there’s a lot to be said about the potential of the newcomers.
The schedule ahead is daunting, yes, but Maryland is playing with an extremely cohesive team. When I spoke to newcomers Eva-Grace Yebila and Trinity Jones before the season, they both harped on how connected the team is off the court. That translated to on-court success in the exhibition games.
Frese said that this team is a “sisterhood,” and that bond can take them far. With a tough slate of games up front, the Terps can learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses quickly, pocket that information and incorporate it into their play strategy as tournament time approaches.
This team is intimidating. It may not be an underdog, so to speak, but it is definitely a dark horse entering the season.
