Maryland
No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball vs. Rutgers preview
No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball will start 2025 undefeated after a 12-0 start.
The Terps will host Kaylene Smikle’s former squad on the second day of the new year as Rutgers travels to Xfinity Center.
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday and stream on Big Ten Plus.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten)
Head coach Coquese Washington is in her third season at the helm with Rutgers and has already matched the team’s win total from last season. That said, Washington’s biggest struggle as Rutgers’ head coach is Big Ten play. Since taking over, Rutgers is 7-31 against conference opponents; Maryland is 26-12 in that span.
Smikle, who has been a star for Maryland this season, led Rutgers in scoring last season.
Rutgers’ wins came against Manhattan, Cornell, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Iona, Georgia Southern, Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner and Lafayette. The Scarlet Knights have yet to earn a signature win against a team of Maryland’s caliber.
Players to watch
Kiyomi McMiller, freshman guard, 5-foot-8, No. 32 — McMiller leads Rutgers in scoring as a freshman with 20.4 points per game, which ranks 17th among freshman in the country. She also averages 3.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds. She hails from Silver Spring, Maryland, and was ESPN’s No. 22 ranked recruit in the 2024 class.
Destiny Adams, senior guard/forward, 6-foot-3, No. 1 — Adams leads Rutgers this season with 10.2 rebounds per game and is second in scoring with 18.3 points per game. She’s in her second season with Rutgers after playing two seasons with North Carolina. Last season, she earned coaches’ All-Big Ten second-team honors and was a media Big Ten honorable mention.
Chyna Cornwell, graduate student center, 6-foot-3, No. 54 — Cornwell is in her fifth season with Rutgers and has operated as the de facto starting center for the last three years. She ranks second on the team with 8.9 rebounds per game and third with 8.6 points per game. She is a presence in the paint and has yet to attempt a 3-pointer in her entire five-year career.
Strength
Offensive rebounds. The Scarlet Knights average 16.1 offensive rebounds per game this season, tied for the most in the Big Ten and the 18th-highest mark in the country. Maryland is right behind Rutgers, averaging 15.4 offensive rebounds per game.
Weakness
Assist-to-turnover ratio. Rutgers has the second-worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big Ten (0.90), only above Penn State’s 0.89 mark. Rutgers is 123rd in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, while Maryland is 67th at 1.06. The Scarlet Knights also average just 12.5 assists per game, tied for 222nd in the nation.
Three things to watch
1. Usher in the new year. The Terps are 12-0 for the first time since 2018-19, when they won their first 12 games before losing to Rutgers on Dec. 31 at Xfinity Center. The last time the Terps entered the new year with an undefeated record was 2011-12. Maryland’s upcoming schedule includes games against Rutgers, No. 23 Iowa, No. 4 USC, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
2. Smikle’s revenge. Smikle led Rutgers in scoring in each of the last two seasons. She currently leads the Terps with 17.8 points per game and may enter Thursday’s game with a new sense of aggressiveness.
3. The Big Ten isn’t easy. Despite winning its first two Big Ten games this season, neither have been easy victories for Maryland. The Terps will suit up for their third Big Ten game against a team that hasn’t fared well during conference play in recent history. How the first 10 minutes of the game play out may indicate whether or not it will be competitive.
Maryland
Where’s Marty: Vehicles for Change in Maryland talks about its history and holiday giveaway
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Maryland
Maryland officials to vote on plan for new Bay Bridge
MARYLAND – Big changes could be coming to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
What we know:
After years of planning, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Board will vote Thursday on a replacement for the current Bay Bridge.
On Tuesday, the Board’s staff publicly released their recommendation: what’s called “Alternative C,” which they said includes:
- “Two new four-lane bridge spans with full shoulders across the Chesapeake Bay, enhancing safety while providing additional transportation capacity, reliability and mobility.”
- “Removal of the existing Bay Bridge spans, addressing existing roadway deficiencies including narrow lanes and lack of shoulders, eliminating the need for major rehabilitation projects and associated lane closures and delays, and increasing navigational clearance to meet U.S. Coast Guard requirements. The navigational clearance will match that of the new Key Bridge, allowing larger ships to access the Port of Baltimore.”
- “Widening of US 50/301 to eight lanes (four per direction) from west of Oceanic Drive to east of Cox Creek to accommodate transitions to the new crossing.”
- “Financial commitments for transit-related improvements.”
- “An optional bicycle and pedestrian shared-use path, which the MDTA will further evaluate to determine if it should be included.”
Officials estimated that the total cost of the project would be between $14.8 and $17.6 billion, depending on whether the shared-use path is ultimately included. Although, they cautioned that those figures are very preliminary.
What they’re saying:
“The bridges are aging,” said Maryland Transportation Authority Director of Planning and Program Development Melissa Williams. “Just like your older car, you put more and more money in as the year’s go on, and sometimes you get to the point where it just makes more sense to replace than to put money in.”
Most drivers who spoke with FOX 5 Wednesday evening were intrigued by the plan.
“We already have so much traffic as it is, especially on Fridays, the weekends,” said Jason Ramos. “It’s just insane.”
Still, Williams said the bridge replacement plan wouldn’t alleviate traffic altogether.
“Building this bridge will be a huge step in helping address traffic in the corridor,” she explained. “Will it completely eliminate it? I wish I could say yes, but the answer is no.”
What’s next:
There is a lot more to come before plans for a new bridge are finalized.
Thursday’s MDTA vote would give way to public hearings, scheduled for early next year. Then, federal officials would still have to give their final approval, which would likely take place in late 2026.
Officials said the earliest construction would begin is likely in the Summer of 2032.
Maryland
Maryland woman misses Powerball jackpot but claims $1 million prize
LANHAM, Md. – A Maryland woman may have missed the $900 million Powerball jackpot last week, but she still scored a $1 million prize.
What we know:
The Lanham resident bought her tickets on Dec. 10 at a 7‑Eleven on Finns Lane. She found out she’d won the next morning while getting ready for work and told her husband, “No one won the jackpot, but we won $1 million!” She was so excited, she said, that he had to drive her to work.
She claimed the prize on Dec. 12. The couple plans to use the money to pay off debt and buy a larger home.
The Powerball jackpot has since soared to $1.25 billion for Wednesday’s drawing.
Maryland woman misses Powerball jackpot but claims $1 million prize (Maryland Lottery)
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Maryland Lottery.
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