March 27, 2002

GAME: No. 1 Maryland (30-4) vs. No. 1 Kansas (33-3).
ROUND: National Semifinal.
TIME: Saturday, 8:47 p.m. EST.
SITE: The Georgia Dome, Atlanta.

While Kansas coach Roy Williams knows his deep team can match up with a powerful Maryland squad, the Jayhawks coach is concerned with what the Terrapins have that his players don't - the experience of last year's Final Four.

Williams leads Kansas into Saturday's national semifinal against Maryland in a matchup of No. 1 seeds at the Georgia Dome.

Kansas' coach recognizes that despite his squad's determination to win the national championship, the Jayhawks will be facing a driven team.

"The toughest thing to understand is that those guys were all there last year and their goal was not just to get back to Atlanta," Williams said. "I think they're probably mad about what happened last year and they're going to be so much more focused to go there and get it done.

"That's a tough situation to play a team that's thinking about that, and how mad they are about what happened and how focused they are, especially as talented as they are."

Coach Gary Williams' Terrapins reached the Final Four for the first time in school history last year, only to fall to eventual national champion Duke in the semifinals.

This year, Maryland has another formidable opponent blocking its path to the championship game.

"The advantage of having played in the Final Four last year is knowing how this week works. We're not overwhelmed by returning to the Final Four," Gary Williams said. "Getting to the Final Four had been a goal for a long time, and we finally made it last year, which makes it easier to comprehend everything this year. Hopefully that will help us."

Saturday's matchup should provide the big men from both teams with perhaps their toughest challenges of the season, as the Jayhawks and Terps boast two of the most powerful inside games in the country.

Kansas' versatile forward trio of Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Wayne Simien will battle Chris Wilcox, Byron Mouton and Lonny Baxter, Maryland's big, athletic frontcourt players, for control under the boards.

"They are as good as anyone in the nation," Collison said of the Terps. "I think their front line is so difficult to match up with. We have as good as chance as anybody to match up with those guys, but they are very tough. I think Lonny Baxter and Chris Wilcox are a lot like us because they can do so many things. They are so big and strong."

Those dominant inside games were instrumental in pushing both teams through to the Final Four. Gooden had 18 points and 20 rebounds, and Collison added 25 points and 15 rebounds as the Jayhawks grabbed 26 offensive boards on the way to a 104-86 victory over second-seeded Oregon in the Midwest Regional final Sunday.

For Maryland, Baxter scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Terps past second-seeded Connecticut 90-82 on Sunday, earning him East Regional MVP honors.

"We have tough guys. We didn't think we would lose this game," Gary Williams said.

"We're going back. We want to do something this year."

The Terrapins also have the personnel to win Saturday's game from the backcourt. Senior All-American Juan Dixon had 27 points againt UConn and is averaging 26.0 points per game in this NCAA tournament, while fellow guard Steve Blake sealed Sunday's win with a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left.

Kansas will try to use its depth to contain the Maryland backcourt. Starters Kirk Hinrich, Jeff Boschee and Aaron Miles, and reserve Keith Langford will take turns matching up with the Terrapins' dangerous guards.

The winner of Saturday's contest, the first NCAA tournament matchup between Maryland and Kansas, will face either Oklahoma or Indiana on Monday night for the national championship.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Maryland - F Wilcox (11.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg), F Mouton (11.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg), C Baxter (15.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg), G Dixon (20.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg), G Blake (8.0 ppg, 8.0 apg).

Kansas - F Gooden (20.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg), F Collison (15.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg), G Hinrich (14.9 ppg, 5.1 apg), G Boschee (13.3 ppg, 2.4 apg), G Miles (7.0 apg, 6.7 apg).

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Maryland - At-large bid, Atlantic Coast Conference, beat No. 16 Siena 85-70, first round, beat No. 8 Wisconsin 87-57, second round, beat No. 4 Kentucky 78-68, East Regional semifinal, beat No. 2 Connecticut 90-82, regional final.

Kansas - At-large bid, Big 12 Conference, beat No. 16 Holy Cross 70-59, first round, beat No. 8 Stanford 86-63, second round, beat No. 4 Illinois 73-69, Midwest Regional semifinal, beat No. 2 Oregon 104-86, regional final.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Maryland - 27-17, 18 years. Kansas - 65-30, 30 years.