Women’s college basketball tipped off in January with chaos, as ranked teams fell across the country. Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost. The LSU Tigers lost. The Michigan Wolverines lost. And by the end of the night, No. 7 Maryland Terrapins had joined them, dropping their first game of the season.

Walking into the State Farm Center, few expected Brenda Frese’s Maryland Terrapins to be seriously tested by the Illinois Fighting Illini. That changed quickly. Early foul trouble for starting point guard Addi Mack forced Frese to dip into her bench far sooner than planned, disrupting Maryland’s rhythm from the jump.

For a player who averages 26.2 minutes a night, Addi Mack saw her night reduced to just 14 minutes, her lowest mark of the season. The limited run clearly affected her approach.

“Addi hasn’t been in foul trouble all year. Really impactful not to be able to have her,” Frese said in the post-game conference. “She was hesitant to take a really strong, aggressive shot.”

And without the guard, what followed was a messy, back-and-forth battle. Maryland carried a 39–34 lead into halftime, but Illinois came out swinging, opening the third quarter on a 12–4 run to grab a brief advantage. The Terps responded late, scoring 11 of the final 17 points of the quarter, but could only reclaim a slim two-point edge heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was messy. Maryland led 60–55 with 7:53 left, but the offense stalled, opening the door for a 10–1 Illinois run that completely flipped the momentum of the game. The Terps went scoreless from the field over the final 2:22, and the last look at a game-tying three by Saylor Poffenbarger also came up empty as Illinois secured its second straight win over the Terps.

Garzon led the way with 17 points, Poffenbarger contributed 15 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, and Okananwa finished with 12. But the Terps paid the price by shooting 1-for-12 from three and turning the ball over 18 times.

Fans were clearly unhappy with the result and did not hold back in expressing their frustration. Here are some of the reactions.

Maryland Terrapins Loss Sparks Strong Fan Reactions

“People were saying Maryland was overrated all year, and this is why, LMAO,” one fan wrote, clearly frustrated with the Terps being ranked No. 7. The criticism centered on Maryland’s resume, as they had faced only one ranked opponent up to that point, a sample many felt did not fully reflect how good the team actually is.

Another fan echoed the sentiment, questioning the ranking outright. “Why was Maryland ranked so high? They were bailed out in double overtime against unranked Minnesota, and now they lose to another unranked team,” the fan wrote. The Big Ten Conference is shaping up to be one of the toughest leagues in the country this season, with eight ranked teams and several unranked programs playing at a ranked level on any given night.

Nothing comes easy in the Big Ten, especially on the road. Maryland’s recent history shows just how unforgiving it can be. Last season, the Maryland Terrapins went 8–1 away from home, but go back a year, and their record in away games was 3-6. Even this season, road games have offered little comfort for Maryland.

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The defeat at Illinois was Maryland’s second road test of the season. The first needed a double overtime 100-99 win against Minnesota. Together, they paint a clear picture of how tough road games have been for the Terps.“We were ready today. We had a great shoot around, great film session leading into this game,” Brenda Frese said, explaining their struggles away from home. “This is why it’s so hard to go on the road. Great environment, great crowd.”

The struggles aren’t just a Maryland issue. Michigan barely survived Oregon, then ran into trouble on the road, falling 64–52 to Washington. It was yet another upset in what has been a chaotic start to the new year. As one fan summed it up, “BIG TEN is so deep. It’s quickly becoming the best conference in women’s basketball.”

But Maryland’s struggles go deeper than just one game. Injuries have taken a real toll, and some fans were quick to acknowledge it. “Maryland’s injuries, I believe that this cost them the game,” one fan wrote, while another added, “Maryland isn’t that good. Too many injuries.” Of course, injuries have played a major role.

Maryland has already lost guards Lea Bartelme, Ava McKennie, and Kaylene Smikle to season-ending knee injuries, leaving the Terps short-handed and vulnerable on nights when the offense stalls with no depth.

Because of their injury issues, the Maryland Terrapins have already used 13 players who average double-digit minutes per game. But with every injury, those options shrink, and that reality could catch up to Brenda Frese and her team come March. Without reliable depth, making a deep run in the Big Dance becomes extremely difficult.