Maryland women’s basketball has made it to its Big Ten home opener with an undefeated record and a plethora of injuries.
The Terps will host Wisconsin in their first of 17 straight conference games for the rest of the regular season.
The game will start at 4 p.m. and be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
Wisconsin Badgers (9-3, 1-0 Big Ten)
2024-25 Record: (13-17, 4-14 Big Ten)
The Badgers are in year one with head coach Robin Pingeton.
Things have gone about as well as Badger fans could have hoped, with the team already within four of their previous
season’s win total. After tough losses to Ole Miss and James Madison, Wisconsin bounced back with its marquee win of the young season against then-No. 20 Michigan State.
Players to watch
Destiny Howell, graduate guard, 6-foot, No. 1 — Howell is the Badgers’ most efficient scorer at 12.6 points per game on close to 50% shooting. She played her first four years at Howard, where she worked her way up to winning MEAC Player of the Year her junior season. Howell is also deadly from beyond the arc, shooting over 42.5%.
Kyrah Daniels, junior guard, 6-foot, No. 20 — Daniels is the other eminent scorer for the Badgers with the exact same points per game average as Howell — albeit with much less efficiently. Daniels is a strong rebounder, racking up 5.1 boards per game, and can be a defensive pest at 1.5 steals per contest. Like Howell, Pingeton brought her in from Missouri State as a part of her inaugural transfer class.
Ronnie Porter, senior guard, 5-foot-2, No. 13 — Amid a roster of new faces, Porter provides some key continuity for the Badgers, returning as their undersized, crafty floor general. Her 4.5 assists per game rank top 10 in the conference.
Strength
Rim protection. Wisconsin five blocks per game as a team place top 30 in the nation. It also holds teams to under 40% from the field, and just 63.4 points per game. The Badgers’ post duo of Dorja Zaja and Gift Uchenna have combined for 39 blocks this year. They have the potential to make life tough for Maryland in the paint.
Weakness
Efficiency. Wisconsin’s team field goal percentage is hovering around 44%. It’s not a bad mark, but in its three losses, it has struggled to score the ball. Maryland’s length could make it difficult for the Badgers to execute offensively, and holding them below their average from the field could be key to a Terps victory.
Three things to watch
1. Health. The two question marks for this contest will be Saylor Poffenbarger and Rainey Welson, both of whom were absent for Maryland’s last game against Central Connecticut State. Frese said Poffenbarger’s absence was a planned rest, so barring any setbacks, she should be back. Welson is still nursing a lower leg injury.
2. New coaching matchup. Pingeton will be a new challenger for Frese in the Big Ten, a conference where the latter has long-been one of the best tacticians. Frese always comes prepared for new challenges, and is likely to throw some different defenses and lineup combinations at the Badgers to try and throw them off balance.
3. Rust or rest? The Terps will be fresh off a 10 day break over the holidays. On paper, this should be a welcome opportunity to get healthy, but Maryland had settled into a consistently busy schedule, and could come out a bit sluggish. Maryland will not have another rest period that long until the postseason.
