Why Did Maryland Lose the 2009 NCAA Women’s Basketball Regional Final?

Before the NCAA tournament started, I was emailing with a fellow long-time fan of Maryland. At the time, I expressed some concern that the push by Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver to win the ACC regular season and the ACC Tournament might make them too satisfied when they achieved it. Though I’ve tried to think otherwise, I just haven’t seen the passion in the Terps since the ACC tournament that they had during that tourney as well as at the end of the regular season.

Why was this a worry to me? Well, you can see it for yourself if you watch season 2 of Under the Shell and compare it to season 5. In Season 2, the team rhetoric was about winning the championship—bringing the first women’s NCAA championship for Maryland. This year, the talk was all about getting the ACCs. As happens so often, if you set a goal short of what you ultimately want, the ultimate goal becomes that much more difficult to achieve.

From the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, it was clear that Maryland had lost focus. As the rounds moved on, fewer players each game had that fire in their eyes that they would not be denied. In the regional semi-finals, it was down to Marissa Coleman. By the time Louisville took the court, the Terps had no one left to take the team on their shoulders.

One of the cruel truths of the NCAA tournament is that only one team will be happy at the end. As hard as it was to see ‘Riss and KT experience the last moments of their college playing careers, the fact is that they’ve been amazing for Maryland. What they did in their senior years was truly amazing. While they weren’t able to get those last three wins, that in no way diminishes their light.

Where does Maryland go from here? They have a core of young players who can accomplish great thing. They now have a good idea what what it takes to be champions. Now that they are under no one’s shadow, they’ll be able to warm in the sun. Plus, they’ve already won the ACCs, so they’ll really want to get another natty for the trophy case.