March 20, 2002

GAME: No. 4 Kentucky (22-9) vs. No. 1 Maryland (28-4).
REGIONAL: East, Semifinals.
TIME: Friday, 10:25 p.m. EST.
SITE: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.

Maryland hopes to contain Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince as the Terrapins play the Wildcats in the NCAA East Region semifinals on Friday.

The 6-foot-9 Prince scored a career-high 41 points to lead the fourth-seeded Wildcats to an 87-82 victory over Tulsa in the second round on Saturday.

"It's plain and simple," Kentucky guard J.P. Blevins said. "Give him the ball. Isolate him whenever you can and get him off screens whenever you can."

Prince's point total was well shy of the NCAA tournament record of 61 by Notre Dame's Austin Carr in 1970 against Ohio in a first-round game. It was 12 shy of the team record of 53 by Dan Issel in 1970 against Ole Miss.

Prince leads the team in both scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 ppg).

"We've got momentum on our side now, thanks to the big guy," Blevins said. "We ask a lot of him, and he delivered, but never did we expect to get 41 points out of him."

Kentucky will need more than momentum to top the top-seeded Terrapins.

Maryland has won 15 of 16 games and will be playing in the regional semifinals for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

Juan Dixon scored 29 points and Chris Wilcox added 18 to lift Maryland past eighth-seeded Wisconsin 87-57 Sunday in the second round of the East Regional.

Dixon, who has scored 29 points in two straight games, broke Len Bias' school record for career points and eclipsed Bias' mark for career points in the NCAA tournament. Dixon has 2,172 points overall and 197 in his four trips to the tourney.

"It's a great accomplishment, especially in my situation," said Dixon who shot 10-for-19 from the field against the Badgers. "Coming into Maryland, a lot of people knocked Gary Williams for recruiting me. I just wanted to go out there and prove a lot of those critics wrong. "

Maryland is 4-8 all-time against the Wildcats. The Terrapins won the last meeting between the two teams, a 72-66 victory at Cole Field House on Dec. 11, 1999.

Friday's winner moves on to the regional finals to play either 11th-seeded Southern Illinois or second-seeded Connecticut.

PROBABLE STARTERS: Kentucky - F Prince (16.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg), F Gerald Fitch (9.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg), F Jules Camara (5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg), G Cliff Hawkins (7.1 ppg, 4.2 apg), G Keith Bogans (11.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg). Maryland - F Wilcox (11.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg), F Byron Mouton (11.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg), C Baxter (15.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg), G Juan Dixon (19.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg), G Steve Blake (8.3 ppg, 3.8 apg).

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Kentucky - At-large bid, Southeastern Conference, defeated Tulsa 87-82, second round, defeated Valparaiso 83-68, first round. Maryland - At-large bid, Atlantic Coast Conference, defeated Wisconsin 87-57, second round, defeated Siena 85-70, first round.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Kentucky - 89-37, 43 years. Maryland - 29-18, 20 years.