National Champion Terps No. 1 in Preseason Coaches Poll
11/1/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 1, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Returning its top eight players from last season, including its five starters, the National Champion Maryland women's basketball team was nearly a consensus No. 1 preseason pick in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, receiving 29 of a possible 31 first-place votes. It is the first time in school history the Terrapins have been tabbed the preseason favorites.
The Terrapins finished the 2005-06 campaign as the No. 1 team in the country according to the coaches poll after winning the NCAA title with a dramatic 78-75 overtime victory over Duke. Prior to that, the Terps' highest ranking was No. 3.
Maryland won a school-record 34 games last season and had five players averaging in double figures. Among the players returning is junior All-American Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro), who was recently named to the preseason All-ACC team and has been tabbed one of the top five players in the country by several publications.
A three-time All-ACC honoree, Shay Doron (Ramat Hasharon, Isreal/Christ the King [N.Y.]) returns for her final campaign, with the help of 2006 ACC Rookie of the Year Marissa Coleman (Cheltenham, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]), Final Four Most Outstanding Player Laura Harper (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) and Final Four All-Tournament team member Kristi Toliver (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg).
Also ranked in the preseason poll are ACC foes North Carolina (No. 2) and Duke (No. 6). The Tar Heels' two losses last season both came at the hands of the Terrapins, including an 80-71 decision in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Ten other Maryland opponents appear in the poll, including Michigan State, who visits College Park on Jan. 6 for a nationally televised game on CBS, is ranked 17th, while Boston College (83), George Washington (77), TCU (46), Temple (37), NC State (12), Florida State (8), Virginia Tech (4) and Middle Tennessee State (2) all received votes.
Maryland plays its only exhibition game of the preseason on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. against LTL All-Stars. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.umterps.com or by calling the Comcast Center Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.
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