COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Head coach Brenda Frese and the University of Maryland women's basketball team plays a challenging and fan-friendly slate of games in 2009-10, as announced Friday by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Maryland faces eight teams that appeared in the NCAA Tournament last year, including nationally televised matchups at Virginia on Jan. 11 (ESPN2), and home against Duke on Jan. 24 (Fox Sports Net) and Florida State on Feb. 28 (ESPN2). In all, the Terps will be televised seven times during the regular season.

This year's schedule also has a local flavor, with 15 of the Terrapins' 17 non-conference games being played in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Highlights include home tilts against traditional power Old Dominion on Nov. 19, defending CAA Champion Drexel on Nov. 29, Big Ten opponent Minnesota on Dec. 3, and a road trip to SEC foe Mississippi State on Nov. 22.

"We're looking forward to some of the challenges these opponents will present," Frese said. "There are some new opponents on the schedule, as well as some very familiar ones. I like that we're playing some local schools, because it's great for our fans. We're also excited about the terrific television exposure we continue to receive."

Within the ACC, the Terps will once again play home-and-home series with Duke, Virginia and Boston College. Miami, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Florida State will visit Comcast Center. Maryland will play single road contests against NC State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

ACC play begins Jan. 7 at NC State, followed by a Monday night, prime-time game Jan. 11 at Virginia that will be televised nationally on ESPN 2.

January also features a televised road game at North Carolina on the 17th and a primetime, Sunday-night matchup against the Duke Blue Devils on the 24th that will be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Net.

February opens with a pair of televised home games against Georgia Tech and Virginia. The Terps travel to Duke on Feb. 21 for another televised battle, before closing out the regular season at home with Senior Day on Feb. 28 against Florida State, which will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

The 2009-10 squad makes its Comcast Center debut on Oct. 16 for the annual Maryland Madness festivities. Exhibition games on Nov. 4 against Bowie State and Nov. 10 against Catholic University will help the Terrapins prepare for the season-opener on Nov. 14 against North Carolina Central.

Maryland's annual holiday tournament, the Terrapin Classic, runs December 27-29 at Comcast Center. The Terps face Stony Brook on Dec. 27 and UNC Wilmington on Dec. 29.

Maryland begins its ACC title defense at the 33rd Annual ACC Women's Basketball Tournament, which runs March 4-7 in Greensboro, N.C. A season ago, the top-seeded Terps knocked-off Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke in succession to capture the league crown.

The 2010 NCAA Tournament begins March 20, with the first and second rounds running through March 23.

Season tickets are currently on sale, with many family- and budget-friendly packages available. For more information, visit umterps.com or call the Terrapin Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.

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