Navy Deemed Underdog In NCAA Match-Up With Lady Terps
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ)— Two Maryland universities are going to the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. And for the first time, they're going head-to-head in round one.
Weijia Jiang has a look at both teams.
Both the Lady Terps and the Mids are getting in a couple of practices before their big match-up. When they play, it will be a page for the history books. The Maryland teams have never competed against each other.
Earlier this month the University of Maryland's women's basketball team won the ACC Championship for the 10th time. Now, they're going after their second NCAA tournament title, and they're considered a threat to win.
"I know our girls are excited and ready to go out and make a strong run in the tournament," said Lynetta Mincy, University of Maryland women's basketball
On the eve of round one, which will be played on home turf at the Comcast Center, the Lady Terrapins shared practice time with their competition: the Navy Midshipmen.
"There's so many emotions in a game like this for us, and I think being on the court today will allow that to come out," said Stefanie Pempur, Navy head coach.
Despite the universities being less than 30 miles apart, the two teams have never played each other.
"We've tried to schedule Navy. For whatever reason, it hasn't worked out. We are thrilled being so close. We now have that opportunity," said Brenda Frese, University of Maryland head coach.
The Midshipmen don't mind being the underdog. Earlier this season they beat another favorite.
"We have a bad record at Lehigh against Lehigh, so that was a big thing to overcome," said Erin Edwards, Navy women's basketball.
The Maryland match-up is not just a headline, it's a source for even more excitement.
"It's really great to have one team winning everything. It makes everything exciting around campus," said Anh Le, University of Maryland student.
The big game is scheduled for Saturday at 11:15 a.m. at University of Maryland College Park.
Going into the game, Maryland is the No. 2 seed. Navy is a number 15 seed.
