Maryland women’s basketball (21-8, 13-4 B1G) landed the No. 4 seed in the Spokane Region. The Terps will face No. 13 Delaware (24-7) on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

The first two rounds of the tournament will also be at the Xfinity Center for the opening weekend of March Madness. 

“We definitely expected we were going to get a four seed,” guard Diamond Miller said. “It’s March, the best time of year and we’re just happy that we are playing at home.” 

Unlike the Terps, the Blue Hens, who earned the Colonial Athletic Association’s automatic bid after taking down top seeded Drexel in the CAA tournament final, had a high climb to a postseason berth. 

The other game in College Park will be between No. 5 Virginia Tech (23-9) and No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast (29-2). 

“We played Delaware in the past so that’s a team that we know extremely well,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Virginia Tech I’ve watched a lot in the ACC and Florida Gulf Coast we played a year ago in a tournament so we know them all really well so that definitely helps you prepare for them.” 

For Maryland, a No. 4 ranking does not preclude a shocking run, but a chance to win it all might require a win over the defending champions, No. 1 Stanford, and a rematch against No. 2 Texas, which the Terps lost against in last year’s tournament. 

In 2014, the Terps took their No. 4 seed all the way to the Final Four. 

Despite the difficult schedule and disappointing quarterfinals exit in the Big Ten Tournament, guard Katie Benzan remains confident, referring to the team’s mantra.

“Complete the mission is finishing with a national championship,” Benzan said.