Dixon Named As One Of Wooden Award Players Of The Week
1/15/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland senior Juan Dixon has been named one of five Wooden Award players of the week, following his efforts against North Carolina and Georgia Tech last week. The John R. Wooden Award is presented to the nation's player of the year, and a Weekly Wooden Watch is produced to promote the top nominees for the award.
Dixon, named on Monday as the ACC Player of the Week, and teammate Lonny Baxter are both among the top 30 candidates for the award, for the second straight season. Click here to view the latest news and information on the Wooden Award, and check out this week's Wooden Watch featuring the Terps' Dixon.
WOODEN AWARD PLAYER TO WATCH: It's an accepted theory that it takes great guard play to advance in the NCAA Tournament. The theory has rung true in recent years (2001- Duke, Jason Williams, 1999- Michigan State, Mateen Cleaves, etc) If it holds true for 2002, the University of Maryland has just as good a chance as anyone to take home the crown. Juan Dixon, the Terps' senior guard, has elevated his game to a level comparable with anyone's in college basketball. He has the ability to take over a game as he did last year at Duke, pouring in 28 points, after which Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called him "literally sensational". He's a terror on defense, too, ranking among the nation's best with over 3 steals per game. Dixon's talent will be on display this week as the Terps visit Duke on Thursday.
WOODEN AWARD GAME OF THE WEEK: A no-brainer. #1 Duke and #3 Maryland will lock horns on January 17th at the storied Cameron Indoor Stadium. Last year, this rivalry was one for the ages. Duke stormed back from a 10-point deficit with a minute left in regulation to win at Maryland in the first match-up of 2001. Game #2 saw the Terps dominate the Dukies at Cameron. They met again in the semis of the ACC Tournament as Duke won on a last second tip-in. The final 2001 battle took place in Final Four of the NCAA Championship, with Duke coming out on top. To give an idea of how close last year's season rivalry was, Duke outscored Maryland 357 - 353 in the four games combined. This game is destined to be a classic.
