South Carolina battles Maryland in Top 20 WBB showdown: How to watch, what to know

Jeremiah Holloway
Tracy Glantz/tglantz@thestate.com

The No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball team will pay a visit to No. 17 Maryland on Friday.

The Gamecocks defeated the Terrapins last season in Columbia, and this matchup begins the first of a home-and-home series between the two teams. Next year, Maryland will face USC in Colonial Life Arena.

South Carolina routed East Tennessee State in its home opener. The Terrapins won their first game of the season on the road against George Mason.

SOUTH CAROLINA VS. MARYLAND GAME INFO

Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0) vs. No. 17 Maryland Terrapins (1-0)

Where: Xfinity Center in College Park, Md.

When: 6 p.m. Friday

TV: ESPN2

Stream: via ESPN app/ESPN.com

GAMECOCKS BEGIN ROAD TRIP

Friday’s game begins the first of four straight on the road for South Carolina.

The team plays No. 17 Maryland, Clemson, No. 2 Stanford and Cal Poly in that stretch that ends Nov. 22. The Gamecocks won’t make it back to Colonial Life arena until Nov. 27 when they face Howard.

Maryland went 15-1 in the Xfinity Center a season ago and were 3-1 at home against ranked teams.

South Carolina posted a 9-1 road record last season.

NEW-LOOK TERRAPINS

Maryland added five players through the transfer portal in the offseason, and added four freshmen to the roster.

The team had a few departures, most notably star forward Angel Reese, who transferred to LSU. Reese put up 20 points and 10 rebounds in last year’s game against South Carolina.

Three of the new transfers started in Maryland’s Monday game and combined for 33 points.

Princeton transfer Abby Meyers led the team in scoring against George Mason. The other transfer starters, Lavender Briggs and Eliza Pinzan, joined the team from Florida and South Florida, respectively.

Maryland finished the 2021-22 season 23-9 and lost to Stanford in the Sweet 16.

QUICK NOTES

  • South Carolina scored 101 points against East Tennessee State on Monday, higher than any point total it had all of last year.

  • The Gamecocks never left the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press top 25 poll last year. Maryland ended the 2021-22 season as the No. 13 team.

  • South Carolina was 14-0 against ranked opponents last year.

  • Every player played in USC’s season opener except for sophomore guard Bree Hall, who was out due to an illness. She started in the team’s exhibition win the week before.

  • Maryland guard Diamond Miller exited the team’s season opener with an injury, but Terrapins head coach Brenda Frese said it’s “nothing too serious.” She remained on the bench in the second half Monday as a precaution.

  • The Terrapins will also face No. 18 Baylor and No. 9 Notre Dame before conference play begins.

  • Friday is the home opener for Maryland.

GAMECOCKS AND TERRAPINS PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aliyah Boston, F, South Carolina: Boston is the reigning National Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. She recorded a double-double in the Gamecocks’ season opener against East Tennessee State, and had 30 such games last year.

Zia Cooke, G, South Carolina: Cooke led the team in scoring during the home opener with 17 points. She averages 12.8 points per game in her career and has made an All-SEC team twice. Cooke led the Gamecocks against Maryland last year with 20 points.

Abby Meyers, G, Maryland: Meyers transferred to Maryland in April after three seasons with Princeton. In her last year with the Tigers, she averaged 17.9 points per game. Meyers scored 19 points in Maryland’s season opener on Monday.

Diamond Miller, G, Maryland: Miller was the third-leading scorer for the Terrapins a year ago. She scored 11 points in nine minutes before her injury, and could be a difference-maker for Maryland if she comes back healthy on Friday.

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