Iowa State women vs Maryland in March Madness: Prediction for 2024 NCAA Tournament opener

The Iowa State women’s basketball team earned a 7 seed during Sunday’s NCAA Tournament selection show. The Cyclones will open March Madness against 10 seed Maryland in Palo Alto, California.

Iowa State is 20-11 and finished second at the Big 12 Tournament. Maryland is 19-13 and lost to Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

Here’s a closer look at the Iowa State vs. Maryland matchup:

Who are Maryland’s top players?

Shyanne Sellers leads the Terrapins at 15.5 points per game. Jakia Brown-Turner is next at 13.8, and Bri McDaniel averages 12.7.

Brown-Turner is the team’s rebounding leader at 6.5 per game.

Sellers leads the team with 171 assists.

Who did Maryland beat this season?

Maryland’s best victory of the season, by far, was against No. 4 Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The Terps have not defeated any other teams currently ranked in the top 25.

Maryland played a tough schedule, losing to South Carolina, UConn, Washington State, Indiana (twice), Iowa and Ohio State.

What is Maryland good at?

This is not one of coach Brenda Frese’s best Maryland teams. Frese, a Cedar Rapids native, saw her team lose five out of six games in January and early February. The Terps were sixth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (77.7) but 12th in scoring defense (72.7). Iowa State will look to score some points in this matchup.

Maryland shoots the 3-pointer pretty well (fifth in the Big Ten) and guards pretty well from beyond the arc (third in Big Ten).

Iowa State vs. Maryland prediction in March Madness

This could be a tight game, with a surging Big 12 team going against a Maryland team with a proud tradition. Maryland actually has a better NET ranking (31 vs. 33). But if Iowa State continues to play like it has over the last few weeks (six wins in the last seven games), the Cyclones should walk away with a victory in this round-of-64 game.