COLLEGE PARK -- Maryland freshman center Crystal Langhorne and Ohio State sophomore center Jessica Davenport would never be caught boasting about their basketball skills.
Their teammates, however, have no such reservations.
"I don't think anyone matches Crystal's strength or her skills," sophomore guard Shay Doron said of the 6-foot-3 Langhorne. "She's unbelievable."
"We've got Jessica," Buckeyes sophomore guard Brandie Hoskins said. "She's, what, 6-5, 6-6, [Davenport is listed as 6-4] and no one can play with her."
The debate over who is the better post player could be settled tonight, when the seventh-seeded Terps meet second-seeded Ohio State in the second round of the NCAA women's tournament's Philadelphia Regional at Comcast Center.
The game is scheduled to tip-off 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 7 p.m. contest between fifth-seeded DePaul and 13th-seeded Liberty in the Chattanooga Regional.
A number of factors will determine which team advances to its first Sweet 16 in more than a decade. Maryland (22-9), which averages 73 points, must overcome a Buckeyes defense that surrenders just 52.1 points a contest.
Big Ten regular-season co-champion Ohio State (29-4) allowed an average of 28.8 rebounds but will have its hands full with a Terps squad that averages 42.6.
Still, the play in the post from both Langhorne and Davenport figures to be the most pivotal matchup.
Langhorne and Davenport were rated the top post players in the country during their senior years in high school, both earned their respective conference Rookie of the Year honors, and both are left-handed.
Davenport, the Big Ten Player of the Year and one of 17 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award for women's player of the year, is the more proficient scorer (19.4 points a game compared to Langhorne's 17.0), but Langhorne owns the edge in rebounding (10.5 compared to Davenport's 9.2).
Both players said they are eager to meet each other on the court tonight.
"It's going to be a battle," Davenport said of Langhorne. "She's just a strong player and a smart player. She's hard to stop."
Said Langhorne: "When she gets it down on the block, she's going to score. She's tenacious on the boards. If she misses, she's going for her own rebound. It's going to be a great game."
Perhaps the biggest key will depend on which player can stay out of foul trouble. Davenport has yet to foul out in college and has been charged with four fouls just once this season.
