Sharpshooter develops into top defender

COLLEGE PARK — Two Blair Watsons attended the Maryland women’s basketball team’s practice Wednesday afternoon. One is made of plastic, stands no taller than a water bottle and has a smile etched on her face. The other is not plastic, stands 6 feet tall and, not entirely coincidentally, also has a smile on her face most of the time.

The senior guard’s bobblehead will be available for fans to take home next week. But to get the real Watson smiling, nodding and chattering away, all one has to do is ask her a question about defense.

“When I step out on the court and Coach B. says, ‘What do you want?’ I’m always like, ‘Defense,’ ” Watson said, her words spilling out rapidly. “I’m like, ‘Who can I disrupt today?’ ”

Watson is Maryland’s defensive leader this season, the result of a major transformation in the guard’s career trajectory. She began at Maryland as an offensive-minded, three-point machine but converted her game after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament her sophomore year.

Now, she has a critical role on a Terps team that is trying to shift its identity a bit as well. No. 20 Maryland (12-4, 3-2 Big Ten) is looking to notch back-to-back conference victories for the first time this season when it hosts Nebraska (13-2, 3-1) Thursday at 8 p.m. The Terps believe the surefire way to do so is by focusing on defense.

The Terps’ new scheme relies heavily on switching so that Maryland can get in passing lanes for steals and take off in transition.

The switch-heavy scheme has been paying off for the most part — Maryland entered Wednesday’s games tied for second in the country with13.9 steals per game and fourth in scoring margin (plus-26.4).

“We’re having such clear communication that it’s fun,” Watson said. “We’re having fun, moving the basketball, shooting three’s, getting layups, just doing what we do now. You can really, really see that it’s a big jump.”