Maryland women’s basketball ranked No. 4 in Preseason AP Top 25

With less than a week before the Terps return to the hardwood, the first official AP Top 25 Poll is out.

Maryland women’s basketball comes in as the No. 4 team in the country, per the poll released Wednesday.

This is the highest Maryland has been ranked in AP’s opening poll since 2008, when the Terps entered the season as the No. 3 team in the country.

Over the previous two seasons, Maryland has checked in at No. 15 and No. 9, respectively, in each of the preseason polls.

The Terps are one of two schools, including Louisville, that have men’s and women’s teams ranked in the AP Poll’s Top 10.

Brenda Frese’s squad will be one of the deepest she’s had at her disposal in recent memory, as she returns almost all of her players from last season, including Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year Kaila Charles. Free also brings the No. 3 recruiting class in the country into the fold for the Terps, headlined by five-star guards Diamond Miller and Ashley Owusu.

Maryland saw its previous season end in heartbreak, as it fell to the UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite entering as a No. 3 seed. With most of the same group running it back this season, the Terps will be looking to avenge their early-exit and have a legitimate chance at a deep tournament run.

No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Baylor and No. 3 Stanford were all ranked ahead of the Terps, while UConn rounded out the the top-five.

Maryland’s regular season will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 5, in a home game against Wagner. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET and coverage will be broadcast on BTN Plus.