Facing Maryland’s Diamond Miller a bit of a reunion for some Gamecocks

South Carolina will face Maryland on Monday in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight with star guard Diamond Miller in the Terrapins lineup. The winner advances to the Final Four.

Though Miller didn’t play against South Carolina in the teams’ Nov. 11 meeting — an 81-56 win for USC — she’s still a familiar face for some of the Gamecocks.

Miller played with Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke and Brea Beal in the 2019 McDonald’s All-American game, with all four players representing the East team. Cooke and Boston also played with Miller on the gold medal-winning FIBA Americas U16 team in 2017.

All four players were from different states, so they didn’t cross paths too often. But they all have mutual respect for their games.

“I’ve always thought Diamond was a really good guard,” Cooke said. “She has a great sense of humor, a great teammate. So I’ve got a lot of respect for her.”

Miller was the No. 17 recruit in the country in the 2019 class. Boston, Cooke and Beal all ranked among the top 11.

Miller’s athleticism stood out to the future Gamecocks when they saw her play in high school. Her mobility as a 6-foot-3 guard allowed her offensive game to thrive, and she’s built on that in college.

“If it’s a dead-ball situation, she’s stuck, she’ll still find a way to score,” Beal said. “So she’s one of the more challenging players for sure.”

On a college basketball court, South Carolina has only seen Miller once in the last four years.

Miller faced South Carolina as a freshman in 2019, a game the Gamecocks won 63-54. She scored 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in that game.

“Freshman year, I just remember being completely out of control,” Miller said. “I was so excited for that game that I don’t even think I really absorbed everything.

“This time around, I’m definitely more relaxed and composed. But it was really fun. I was really excited and that excitement doesn’t go away.”

She didn’t play in 2021 or 2022 matchups against South Carolina due to various injuries. USC won both games.

For Miller, the chance to get back on the court against the Gamecocks — and former recruiting classmates — brings her excitement.

“They have a lot of great players, and our class of 2019 is really thriving right now,” Miller said. “So it’s going to be fun.”

Miller is averaging 19.6 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Terrapins in her senior season and was named to The Associated Press All-American second team.

Maryland missed her production against USC in November, but they’ve thrived with it since. The Terrapins are 11-2 when Miller scores 20 or more points — with both losses coming against Iowa — and a perfect 3-0 when she scores at least 30.

She also leads Maryland with 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

“She’s a player that can score in bunches and impact the game on both sides of the basketball,” USC head coach Dawn Staley said. “For someone that could score as much as she scores and defend as well as she defends, I wouldn’t want to be without that type of player at that juncture of the season when you’re trying to figure out who you are and what your identity is.”

Maryland (28-6) tied for second in the Big Ten’s regular-season standings. The Terrapins defeated Holy Cross, Arizona and Notre Dame to reach the March Madness Elite Eight.

The early-season drubbing against South Carolina was the team’s biggest margin of defeat. It reeled off three separate winning streaks of five games or more and did not lose consecutive games.

“It was a really, really tough game (against South Carolina),” Maryland guard Abby Meyers said. “But it was close until the end of the third quarter. We didn’t have Diamond, we didn’t have some intangibles that we could have controlled better, and I think we’re going to be prepared for this game.”

The Gamecocks (35-0) are in the midst of a 41-game winning streak and looking for another national championship.

South Carolina will carry its momentum into Monday’s game against a Maryland team with its best player back on the court.

“She’s just a lengthy guard,” Boston said. “Very physical, likes to attack, likes to rebound. She’s just, all-around, a great player.”

Diamond Miller NCAA Tournament stats

▪ First round: 13 points, 8 rebounds in 93-61 win over Holy Cross

▪ Second round: 24 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals in 77-64 win over Arizona

▪ Sweet 16: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals in 76-59 win over Notre Dame