NMSU women’s basketball team plays powerhouse Maryland in 1st round of NCAA tournament

?If Aggie fans thought the men’s basketball team have a tough draw in the NCAA tournament, they should check out who the women’s team is playing.

The New Mexico State University women’s basketball team (22-7) will play Maryland (30-2) at 11:30 a.m. Mountain Time Saturday on ESPN 2 in College Park, Maryland.

Maryland is ranked No. 4 in the nation and the No. 1 seed in the Spokane region, while NMSU, the WAC champs, are the No. 16 seed in Spokane.

Maryland went unbeaten in its first Big Ten season.

After reaching the Final Four a year ago, the Terrapins hope to go farther this season. Riding a 24-game winning streak, Maryland opens at home Saturday against New Mexico State.

Maryland’s 30-2 record includes an 18-0 mark in the Big Ten. After becoming only the third women’s team in conference history to go unbeaten in league play – the first since Purdue in 1998-99 – the Terrapins breezed through the Big Ten Tournament.

Maryland’s last defeat came against Notre Dame, another No. 1 seed, on Dec. 3.

If the Terrapins win their opener, they could go up against unbeaten, eighth-seeded Princeton in the second game.

The Aggies had not been to the big dance in almost 30 years – not since back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1987 and 1988.

The Aggies are making their first postseason appearance in five years, the last time coming in 2010 when they participated in the WNIT Tournament.

The NMSU men’s basketball team takes on No. 2 seed Kansas in Omaha, Nebraska on Friday.