April 6, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
After posting 22 wins and reaching the second round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, the Maryland women's basketball team jumped back into the top 25, earning a No. 24 final ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Terps end the season among the nation's top 25 for the first time since 1992-93.
Head coach Brenda Frese's Maryland Terrapins, which featured only four upperclassmen on the 12-player roster, spent 16 weeks in coaches' poll during the regular season, reaching as high as No. 17 three times. The Terps' debut in the poll was a No. 23 rating in the preseason rankings.
Maryland ended the season with a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over then-No. 21 Wisconsin-Green Bay, 65-55, then followed up with a strong performance against second-seeded Ohio State, falling by just 10 points, 75-65.
Earlier in the season, Maryland upset ACC Champion and Elite Eight participant North Carolina as the Terps went on to record its first win over a top-five opponent in 12 years. The Terrapins also registered another upset in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, topping then-No. 21 NC State to advance to the semifinals for the second-consecutive year.
Four Maryland opponents finished in the top 10 to end the season. LSU (No. 3) and Ohio State (No. 9) are two non-conference foes to finish in the top 10, while No. 6 North Carolina and No. 8 Duke are also rated in the top 10 and are the only other ACC squads among the final top 25. Maryland opponents UW-Green Bay, NC State, Virginia, Florida State and Arizona each received votes.
ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
1. Baylor (40) 28-3 1,000 6
2. Michigan State 29-3 950 5
3. LSU 28-2 913 4
4. Tennessee 27-4 891 3
5. Stanford 29-2 813 1
6. North Carolina 28-3 756 2
7. Rutgers 26-6 747 10
8. Duke 29-4 724 8
9. Ohio State 29-4 656 7
10. Connecticut 24-7 610 9
11. Minnesota 25-7 589 12
12. Texas Tech 23-7 527 14
13. Georgia 23-9 444 20
14. Vanderbilt 23-7 433 18
15. Notre Dame 27-5 393 13
16. Arizona State 23-8 391 24
17. Texas 22-8 379 11
18. Temple 28-3 352 15
19. Kansas State 24-7 312 16
20. DePaul 26-4 242 17
21. Liberty 25-6 214 NR
22. USC 20-10 91 NR
23. Boston College 20-9 84 NR
24. Maryland 22-10 82 NR
25. Iowa State 23-7 79 19
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Wisc. Green Bay 51, N.C. State 47, Virginia 40, Middle Tenn. St. 31, Purdue 25, TCU 25, Oregon 22, Florida State 13, Penn State 10, Utah 10, Arizona 9, George Washington 8, New Mexico 7, SMS 7, Villanova 6, Iowa 5, Rice 4, Delaware 3, Gonzaga 3, Western Kentucky 2.
