No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball vs. William & Mary preview

No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball is back in action Thursday morning for its annual “Field Trip Day” in College Park.

Xfinity Center will have upwards of 15,000 local school children from 80 schools in the venue to see the Terps take on William & Mary.

“Hopefully the energy will help us,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “I want to soak it all up, the energy is going to be electric in the building. I want to feel that and it’s going to be a great game.”

Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. on Big Ten Plus in what’s sure to be a raucous atmosphere in College Park.

William & Mary Tribe (3-7, 0-0 CAA)

2023-24 record: 15-14, 12-6 CAA

Head coach Erin Dickerson Davis is in her third season with William & Mary and has led the Tribe to impressive conference records, albeit poor nonconference showings.

William & Mary faces easily its toughest opponent of the season in No. 8 Maryland on Thursday, but no-conference play hasn’t been kind to the Tribe thus far.

Last season, the Tribe turned things around during CAA play and may do the same this year. However, William & Mary’s résumé thus far isn’t great, even in its wins. The Tribe have three victories on the season: Division II Chowan, 5-6 McNeese State and 1-12 South Carolina State.

Players to watch

Bella Nascimento, senior guard, 5-foot-8, No. 5 — Nascimento is in her second season with the Tribe after transferring from Manhattan. She is a prolific scorer, leading the team with 12.6 points per game this season.

Cassidy Geddes, sophomore guard, 5-foot-7, No. 1 — Geddes is in her second season with William & Mary and is averaging 7.7 points for the Tribe this year. She has started every game her sophomore season, but her scoring average has taken a dip after she averaged 9.9 points last season.

Kayla Beckwith, graduate student center, 6-foot-1, No. 3 — Beckwith is in her fifth season with William & Mary and is a Laurel, Maryland, native. This season, she’s averaging 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. A long-time member of the Tribe, she’s finally getting her chance to shine as a starter this season.

Strength

Sharing the rock. William & Mary has 134 assists as a team in 10 games this season. That averages out to 13.4 assists per game, while its opponents only average 12.7 assists per game. The Tribe are fifth-best in the CAA in assists per game.

Weakness

Defending the 3-ball. Opponents are 36.5% from beyond the arc against William & Mary this season, while the Tribe are shooting just 24.4% from distance.

Three things to watch

1. The long break’s effect on Maryland’s start. It will be 12 days between contests for Maryland, which will be interesting to see how it effects the team’s start Thursday.

”I think it’s always our intention to come out to a great start,” Frese said. “Hopefully the energy in the building will allow us to do that.”

2. Last nonranked nonconference game. Thursday is Maryland’s second-to-last nonconference game and its last until the Claretta Scott King Classic against No. 6 Texas on Jan. 20. This is the final time Maryland will face a low-major opponent in the regular season.

“[The Terps] know what’s coming out ahead with the conference play, especially having their taste of a game already under their belt,” Frese said. “They’re highly competitive, and they love to win and don’t want to lose. So I think that’s the exciting thing, knowing just how competitive the conference is going to be.”

3. Morning electricity. It is not common that any sport plays an 11 a.m. game on a Thursday, but the Terps have a good reason to do it against William & Mary. The Terps will welcome in around 80 different local schools to support the team and usher in the holiday break.