Maryland women to host Norfolk State in NCAA Tournament's first round

The Maryland women's basketball team will play in the NCAA Tournament for the 15th year in a row.

The Terrapins will be the No. 4 seed in the Birmingham 2 Region but will host the first two rounds at the XFinity Center in College Park.

Maryland will open against No. 13 seed Norfolk State on Saturday, March 22. The winner will play either No. 5 Alabama or No. 12 Green Bay in College Park on Monday, March 24.

The Terrapins (23-7) have been in the NCAA Tournament every year since 2011. Head Coach Brenda Frese has led the team to the tournament in 21 of her 23 seasons.

Under Frese, Maryland is 41-18 (.695) in the NCAA Tournament and 53-30 (.639) in 30 total appearances. The Terrapins have advanced to 11 Sweet Sixteens, seven Elite Eights, and three Final Fours and won the 2006 NCAA Championship since Frese took over.

This year, the Terrapins have five wins over ranked teams. They finished third in the Big Ten during the regular season and made it to the conference tournament quarterfinals before losing to Michigan.

Kaylene Smikle leads Maryland with 17.7 points per game, followed by Shyanne Sellers (14.1) and Bri McDaniel (10.6).