Subplots Pave Maryland's Road To Final Four
3/28/2001 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 28, 2001
By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Maybe it was the unusual draw that led Maryland to its first Final Four. If so, the Terrapins could be in good shape heading into Saturday's semifinal against Duke.
George Mason was a neighboring school led by a Gulf War veteran, Georgia State was coached by former Maryland coach Lefty Driesell, and the meeting with Georgetown was a long overdue resumption of a local rivalry.
"It looks from here like the selection committee did a great job - they put us in a region we could win," coach Gary Williams said. "The first three games that we played made it a little different."
A victory over Stanford - no off-the-beaten-path stories there - won the West Regional for Maryland, leading to a fourth meeting this season with the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday in Minneapolis. The awe of being a newcomer at the season's final party quickly dissipates with the realization that the opponent is a very familiar one.
"That's what makes this more magical," forward Byron Mouton said. "This one is for all the bragging rights. No one will remember the first three games. This is the one that really matters."
Two of the first three Duke-Maryland games are already immortalized as "Instant Classics" by ESPN, a fact that rubs some of the Terrapins players the wrong way.
"We've already played two Instant Classics," forward Tahj Holden said. "For some reason, the game we won wasn't an Instant Classic. We're just two teams that bring out the best in each other."
Thus the chance to play for a national championship has more of the familiar feeling of a bad-blood Atlantic Coast Conference game. It's a rematch the Terrapins started talking up even as they left the court following an 84-82 loss to Duke in the ACC tournament 2 1/2 weeks ago.
"As soon as we lost that game, that's what we were saying - 'We're going to see y'all again. We definitely want to play y'all again.' - and we've done that," point guard Steve Blake said.
The Terrapins are adjusting to requests for tickets and the extra media attention this week, but at least there's no need for extra film sessions to study the tendencies of some unfamiliar team.
"We respect Duke probably more than anybody else because we've played them three times," Williams said. "But at the same time, we know we can play with them."
Maryland has won 10 of its last 11 games, while Duke has won 11 of 12. The only losses in those streaks have been to each other.
The drama started Jan. 27, when the Terrapins blew a 10-point lead with a minute to play at home and lost in overtime, a demoralizing defeat that sent the Terrapins into a 1-5 spiral.
But Maryland recovered and won 91-80 on Feb. 27 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the game in which Duke starting center Carlos Boozer broke a bone in his foot.
Then Duke beat Maryland in the ACC semifinals on Nate James' tip-in with 1.3 seconds left, spoiling a Terrapins comeback from a 14-point deficit in the second half.
"I don't think it gets any better than those three games when it comes down to it in terms of players playing well," Williams said. "What I like about all three games is that both teams played well - there was never a bad performance by either team, and that is what makes for a great series.
"Duke has traditionally been a great team. I thought this year, as we got into position in March, that we were becoming a very good team that could play with the likes of a Duke or Stanford or whoever. Hopefully, that will enable this fourth game to be a great game, too."
