Maryland will need an answer for this player to knock out Alabama for a spot in the Sweet 16

On Saturday, Maryland opened the NCAA Tournament with a comfortable 82-69 win over Norfolk State. The Terrapins had a big task heading into the game, figuring out how to stop Spartans star Diamond Johnson.

Mission accomplished. Johnson scored 18 points, but shot just 36.8% from the floor and turned the ball over three times while committing four fouls.

Maryland forced the rest of the Norfolk State team to beat it, and while Kierra Wheeler had a strong game, it wasn't enough as Maryland rolled.

Now, the Terps are preparing for a second-round meeting with Alabama. The Crimson Tide are 24-8 on the year and defeated Green Bay in the first round.

This Bama team is really good, partly because it's a well-rounded squad that can beat you in a number of ways, but much of what the Crimson Tide does is run through one player: Sarah Ashlee Barker, whose 17.2 points per game lead the team.

Maryland needs an answer for Sarah Ashlee Barker

Sarah Ashlee Barker is a frustrating player to try to stop because of all the various ways she can beat her opponents. The 6-foot-0 guard can bully her way into the paint but can also hit jumpers with ease.

Barker ranks in the 99th percentile among guards in paint points per game, scoring 10.4 PITP per contest.

The Alabama star has great ball control and can change direction on a dime, which helps her penetrate deep in the paint when driving. She has the strength to finish inside through contact, as well as the vision to take advantage of the collapsing defense and hit her open teammates for open shots.

But Barker isn't just a great offensive player; she's also an elite defensive guard, ranking in the 94th percentile among guards in steals and 98th percentile in blocks per CBB Analytics. Maryland will need to account for her on both ends and whoever is stuck with Barker defending her will have to play their best game in an attempt to mitigate the advantage that Bama has from having Barker.

This season, the Crimson Tide have a net rating of +24.4 with Barker on the floor, a number that drops to (a still pretty good) +16.6 with her off the floor. Barker's presence makes Alabama a better team.

For Maryland to avoid the upset, the team has to contain Barker. Some combination of Shyanne Sellers and Kaylene Smikle will likely be tasked with that

Of course, Alabama is more than just Barker. In the opening round against Green Bay, Barker was held in check, scoring nine points on 4-for-11 shooting. It didn't matter, as Aaliyah Nye and Zaay Green combined to score 45 points. The Crimson Tide certainly have the ability to score points with other players, so shutting down Barker isn't some instant path to victory.

But it does potentially make winning easier. Neutralizing Barker would give Maryland a huge advantage in this game because the rest of the Alabama team might be talented, but it isn't as consistent as Barker.

This should be the main priority for the Terrapins: slow down Sarah Ashlee Barker.