COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough knows that both her Maryland squad and UConn's team are significantly different this season from last, when the Terps fell to the Huskies by 10 points in late December. Yet here they both are again, ranked among the top five teams in the country as they head into Thursday's game (ESPN2, 6 p.m. ET).

UConn lost seniors who were the first three picks of the WNBA draft, and now the Huskies are powered primarily by sophomores Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier, juniors Gabby Williams and Kia Nurse, and freshman point guard Crystal Dangerfield, who continues to mature each game.

Seniors Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones lead the Terps, but there are also six freshmen from a top-ranked recruiting class in the mix, including Jones' sister, Stephanie. Maryland also has a rookie at point guard who is getting a crash-course in leadership, Destiny Slocum. She's starting, along with freshman wing player Kaila Charles.

The undefeated teams that will meet Thursday at the XFINITY Center are on their own journeys for 2016-17. The No. 1-ranked Huskies are in the midst of an 86-game winning streak they don't especially want to talk about. The No. 4 Terps look to continue their dominance of the conference they joined in 2014-15 and then have a stronger finish to the NCAA tournament than last year.

"Just looking up at that banner, seeing 'Big Ten champions,' 'Big Ten tournament champions,' 'NCAA second round' ... it's not the greatest sight," Walker-Kimbrough said Wednesday at the arena before practice. "But I know how I felt after that game, and that's not something I want our freshmen to feel this year. That's what's fueled me."

She's referring to Maryland's loss, as the No. 2 seed in the Lexington Region, to No. 7 seed Washington last March. But in Walker-Kimbrough's first two seasons, the Terps made it to the Final Four.

Maryland is hoping to go further than its national semifinal appearances in 2014 and '15. A victory over UConn, of course, would be a major confidence booster.

The idea of being the potential "streak buster" is not the approach the Terps are taking. Yet that's obviously a draw from the fans' point of view. Thursday's game is a sellout, which will be the third in coach Brenda Frese's 15-year tenure. The previous two sellouts at XFINITY Center came in 2007, the season after Maryland won the national championship.

Thursday's attendance will reflect the stature of UConn, which typically lures big crowds on the road. But it's also a testament to the fact that Maryland has a team that people believe could at least give the Huskies a run for their money.

"I'm really proud this game has generated so much interest," Frese said. "We're in an area that has so many sports options, pro and college, for us to have a sellout speaks volumes about both teams.

"On the other hand, it's still a game on Dec. 29 to be able to gauge where we're at. Win or lose, you're going to take lessons both ways. We want to build toward March and take as many things as we can to prepare us for the postseason."

Center Brionna Jones leads Maryland in scoring at 17.5 points per game and helps the Terps boast a plus-18 advantage in rebounds. Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire

Frese said she watched film of last season's 83-73 loss to UConn at Madison Square Garden and noticed, "We had some interesting lineups on the floor. In reflection, I'm kind of surprised we were in it as long as we were. But it's different personnel for both groups now, so we'll see how it plays out."

Walker-Kimbrough is averaging 16.5 points per game, behind center Brionna Jones' team-high 17.5 PPG. Brionna Jones had 24 points on 12-of-14 shooting against UConn last year and is excited about a chance to again play the Huskies, this time in front of such a big crowd in her home state. Walker-Kimbrough had 14 points against UConn and has great regard for how the Huskies compete.

"Their intensity, how hard they go every single play -- that's where teams struggle against them," Walker-Kimbrough said. "They go hard for 40 minutes, and they stay not just physically but mentally locked in every play. It's not easy to do. We can't get sporadic against them."

Frese echoed that.

"They play harder than any team in the country," she said. "And when you'd think they'd have an excuse not to do that, relying so much on only six players [this season], they still do it."

That's the standard the Terps will have to try to match to get the program's first victory against UConn. Maryland is 0-5 against the Huskies, with all of the meetings coming since 2012.

"The energy and effort we had to put in that game last year, we have to remember that," Jones said. "We have to instill that in our freshmen, to do that for the entire game."