By Tim Mastro

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The last time the Delaware women walked into this gym, things did not go well.

The 2019 version of the Blue Hens fell to Maryland 99-55 two seasons ago. Today is a chance to see how far they have come.

The 13th-seeded Blue Hens (24-7) will take their shot at No. 4 seed Maryland (21-8) at 5 p.m. (ESPNU-TV) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Md.

Maryland is hosting the first and second rounds of the tournament. The winner of today’s game will advance to face the winner of a matchup between No. 5 seed Virginia Tech and No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday.

While Maryland has homecourt advantage, the Blue Hens are hoping to get a boost from some extra blue and gold in the crowd. Four players are from the Delmarva area and it is a manageable drive from the Newark campus.

“It’s up the street, so we have fans coming in,” UD senior guard Paris McBride said. “And a lot of people on our team are from this area, so there’s more fans coming in, so it’ll be a better atmosphere for Delaware basketball.”

The game is also a homecoming for UD coach Natasha Adair who is from nearby Silver Spring, Maryland.

“It’s surreal, it hasn’t hit me yet,” Adair said Thursday after UD held its shoot-around. “I’m sure it will tomorrow when we see all of our family and friends. It’s great being home, but it’s also great being a Blue Hen, because we’re going to have fans that travel and come support us. And that’s the beauty about our program.

"It’s a one-team mindset. Everyone is rooting for us as well, but to be back in my hometown where, again, I’m no stranger to this place, this building or even this area, it’s really exciting to be back home.”

History says the Hens will have their work cut out for them.

Maryland is 13-0 all-time against Delaware, including the 2019 matchup. The Terrapins are also 16-0 in NCAA Tournament first-round games under current coach Brenda Frese, who in her 20th season at Maryland.

The Terps boast a talent roster with three Associated Press All-American honorees (Angel Reese, Ashley Owusu, Katie Benzan). The only other school with three AP All-Americans this season is South Carolina who is the top overall seed in the women’s bracket.

Delaware will look to counter with its senior-laden roster, led by CAA Player of the Year Jasmine Dickey and flanked by McBride, All-CAA first team member Ty Battle and Lizzie Oleary.

It has already been a busy week for Dickey who announced Wednesday she will be declaring for the WNBA Draft after the season. Frese said Maryland will have to play physical against Dickey, especially on the offensive glass, to limit her opportunities.

“Tremendous three-level scorer, obviously off the bounce she’s terrific and then she goes to the glass hard,” Frese said. “She’s a difficult matchup because she’s so athletic, you know, and can really score the basketball and can really go to the glass and get a lot of second-chance opportunities.

"So it’s going to take a collective team effort. We’re going to have to box her out and we’re going to have to make her take difficult shots.”

For her part, Dickey isn’t ready to end her Delaware career just yet.

“My time here has been amazing, honestly,” Dickey said. “I’ve gained sisters, obviously. The coaches have been great. We got a CAA championship, so that’s always good and we still got more basketball to play. Even though it’s coming to an end, we still play Friday, and we’re hoping to survive and advance, and that’s the main focus right now.”

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