It was crazy. It was fun. And, wow, the Terps are still dancing.
The conversations around Xfinity Center, after the Maryland women took their turn transforming College Park into the center of college basketball, sounded similar.
They were voiced in short declarations, probably because everyone still needed to catch their breath after fourth-seeded Maryland's frantic 111-108 double-overtime win over fifth-seeded Alabama. A Terrapins team staffer in a white jacket didn't break stride as she headed up the lower-bowl staircase, telling another woman, 'That was crazy!' An arena worker walking toward the tunnel told someone nearby, 'That was fun!' And when Brenda Frese — a veteran coach who has seen it all, has won a national title and does nothing but lead her Terps to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 year after year — had adjusted the microphone on the postgame dais, her first comments summed up the sentiment for the 5,052 fans in the building Monday night.
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He's got a very friendly contract that makes him hard to fire, but right now it's hard to look at the overall roster here and think they're keeping pace with programs like Vanderbilt and South Carolina, who changed with the time.' LSU LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images 'Nuss [Garrett Nussmeier] is a legit talent, and they did a really good job finally getting serious in the portal to put weapons around him.' Advertisement 'They're going to take a significant step back on the offensive line, but they're better at the skill positions.' 'The big talk here is the way they've restructured. This isn't an autonomous coaching culture anymore. [GM] Austin Thomas has a huge role building the roster, and it showed this offseason. The internal evaluation of LSU football will look more professional; they're going to build BK [Brian Kelly] the best roster possible to go out and win games.' 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Advertisement 'They're one of the best programs in the country at evaluating the portal, and they've done a very good job integrating that talent and winning right away, but this is still an inconsistent program. The loss at Florida last year is an example of why [Lane] Kiffin isn't considered an elite coach.' 'They could be just as talented on defense and maybe bring Simmons along quickly, but they're still a step removed from the top-end programs. With the level of competition in this league, it's hard to see a roster like this one immediately come in and secure a playoff bid.' South Carolina 'The expectations are going to be sky-high for these guys. If they can continue to get that level of production from their defensive front and run the ball effectively, that's still the best, most reliable way to win games in this league.' Advertisement '[LaNorris] Sellers is a playmaker, but they really need to find a guy to replace Rocket [Sanders].' 'They're going to be loaded this year because they've brought in portal players to compliment the defense. I think the mentality here is that they know they've got one season to break through with Sellers before he's gone, and they're going to build the best roster they can in the short term.' 'It's playoff or bust for these guys because they're going to lose their best pieces at the end of the season.' Tennessee Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel © Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 'Losing Nico [Iamaleava] isn't good. They're not replacing him with a more talented quarterback, and they're losing the QB who ran their system in a playoff game. But because of the way everything went down, I don't think anyone blames the program or Josh [Heupel], and with the turnover on defense, Nico leaving makes a transition year a lot easier to stomach.' Advertisement 'The offense won't fall off a cliff; that system is effective at adjusting for personnel, even the quarterback.' 'The bigger question, even after Nico, is replacing the defensive starters who carried them in big games. The secondary is legit and probably their strength right now.' "They're going to take a step back and won't be a playoff team this season, but the quarterback play won't be awful.' Texas 'Right now, the belief is that Arch [Manning] will elevate the offense immediately, and you can expect a much more dynamic scheme from Sark [Steve Sarkisian]. This kid is a legit, Heisman-level package. Provided he produces at that level, the offense will be even better. They're stacked with talent.' Advertisement 'They could have one of the best defensive lines in the entire country. They have next-level pass rushers and the size and physicality to win against the run.' 'This program is one of the most effectively run in terms of personnel, NIL and the new era of the sport.' 'If Manning blows up and goes to the league next year, this is still the program to chase. They're professionalizing in a way other programs aren't.' Related: College Football's Top 25 Teams for 2025 Texas A&M Texas A&M head coach Mike ElkoMandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images 'They didn't finish strong, but the turnaround here was remarkable. As coaches, we talked about the culture at this place really falling to rock-bottom under Jimbo [Fisher]. You turn on the tape from [Mike] Elko, and those kids are playing harder, playing smarter. That's coaching, but it's culture. It's the want-to.' Advertisement 'They have a great run game, and the entire offensive line should be back. [Marcel] Reed's ceiling is still to be determined; he showed a lot of good and some bad last season.' 'Elko is going to be more involved on the defense, I think. The need position in the offseason was defensive line, so watch for that.' 'Elko understands A&M, and eventually this could be the most physical, aggressive team in the league.' Vanderbilt 'This is why you invest in NIL over facilities. This is why you have to be serious about personnel. Vanderbilt's coaches didn't suddenly learn how to coach. Clark [Lea] is a fantastic, sharp defensive mind, and now he's got a roster capable of winning games in the league.' Advertisement '[Diego] Pavia is an 'it factor' guy. He's not the most talented, but he's the definition of the college football playmaker. He's never out of it until the play is over, and the entire offense improves when he's clicking. I think you'll see more advanced concepts from them this season to mix up their standard option play.' 'They're still lacking depth on both lines of scrimmage. That's probably the biggest weakness right now.' 'With the attention on them, it will get a lot harder to win games.' Related: College Football Top 136 Team Rankings for 2025 Related: College Football's 10 Biggest Winners in 2025 Spring Transfer Portal Related: Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons Is Working on His Master's — and the Starting Job — at 19 SEC Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2025 first appeared on Athlon Sports on May 22, 2025
