ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – There are no All-Americans on this
Maryland team. It doesn't need any.
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Sat, March 24
The most impressive thing about Maryland's performance against Stanford was
its ability to go to its strengths. The Terps utilized their foot quickness
and beat Stanford off the dribble. Even though Casey Jacobsen is a bit
bigger than Juan Dixon, he's not as quick, and Dixon was able to hit big
shot after big shot because of his aggressiveness going to the basket.
Down the stretch when Stanford tried to make a play, the Terps were able to
answer. They hit the free throws when they needed to and never let the game
get away from them. Maryland's pressure – not necessarily its press – forced Stanford to do things they didn't want to do.
Gary Williams' ability to focus in on what it would take to beat a team like
Stanford deserves a lot of credit. More importantly, Williams' comments
throughout the season – particularly after the horrendous loss to Duke at
home – made it clear that he was never willing to give up on this team.
Williams recognized that the Duke loss was a minor setback, and he gave his
Players time to get back into their rhythm and regain their confidence. He
never lost faith in them, which helped them to never lose faith in
themselves.
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Six weeks after their season seemed to be coming apart, the
Terrapins used their speed and depth to upset top-seeded Stanford
87-73 Saturday and reach the Final Four for the first time.
"We're just really proud of ourselves," said Lonny Baxter, who
led Maryland with 24 points in the West Regional final. "I was
really desperate to make it to the Final Four, get coach there for
the first time."
Coach Gary Williams made it in his 23rd year as a major college
coach, the last 12 with Maryland.
He didn't allow himself to celebrate on the sideline until Drew
Nicholas dribbled out the final seconds before heaving the ball
high into the air.
"I knew we'd come out and play well. Whether that would be
enough against a team like Stanford, I didn't know," Williams
said. "The big thing is, we made our shots."
The Terrapins hit over 58 percent from the field, including
9-of-13 from 3-point range.
Baxter, a 6-foot-8, 260-pound junior, had his way inside against
the taller Cardinal players and went 11-of-18 to win the region's
MVP award. Juan Dixon added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting,
including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
Over the years, the Terps have had their All-Americans, like Len
Elmore, Len Bias, John Lucas, Steve Francis, Joe Smith and Buck
Williams. None of them took the team this far.
These Terrapins lack such a star, but they're still playing.
The third-seeded Terps, 10-1 since losing at home to lowly
Florida State on Feb. 14 for their fifth loss in six games, are
headed to Minneapolis, where they'll face East Regional champion
Duke in the NCAA tournament semifinals next Saturday.
Top-ranked Duke, which beat ACC rival Maryland in two of their
three meetings this season, advanced with a 79-69 victory over
Southern California on Saturday in Philadelphia.
|  | | Cardinal players sit in disbelief as they watch the Terps end their season. |
Maryland's slump began Jan. 27 when it blew a 10-point lead over
Duke in the final 54 seconds of regulation and lost in overtime. By
the time it ended, the Terps were 15-9 and anything but a sure bet
for the NCAA Tournament.
"The big thing is, we stuck together," said Steve Blake, who
had 13 points and seven assists.
Maryland made 32 of 55 shots while Stanford, which hit 57
percent from the field in its three previous tournament games, shot
just 23-of-56 for a season-low 41.1 percent.
"We never got in a groove, we never got confident, and there
you have it," Stanford All-American Casey Jacobsen said. "I think
it was Maryland's offense that did us in. We could not stop them
from scoring."
Reserve Tahj Holden added 14 points and Terence Morris had 11
points and 10 rebounds for Maryland, whose substitutes outscored
their Stanford counterparts 22-8.
Ryan Mendez led Stanford with 18 points. Jacobsen added 14
points and nine rebounds; Michael McDonald had 12 points and seven
assists, and Jason Collins scored 12 for the Cardinal. His brother,
Jarron, added nine points, and the twins combined for just seven
rebounds.
"It seemed like the guys were just a little bit too relaxed,"
Mendez said. "When you look in their eyes, there should be a look,
`There's no way we're going lose this game.' I just thought that
sometimes that look wasn't there."
Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said he believes Maryland has a
legitimate chance to win the national title.
"I'm sure Gary is relieved, excited, ecstatic," Montgomery
said. "He's a great coach; I'm sure it's a great load off his
back. In a bittersweet sort of way, it's nice to see Gary do
that."
After being thoroughly outplayed in the opening 20 minutes,
which ended with Maryland ahead 41-31, the Cardinal scored the
first seven points of the second half to draw within three points.
But that was as close as they would get. A three-point play by
Baxter and 3-pointers by Dixon and Blake in a 68-second span put
Maryland ahead by 12.
Shortly thereafter, a 3-pointer by Holden and a jumper by Dixon
gave the Terps (25-10) a 15-point lead with 14 1/2 minutes left.
Stanford (31-3) got within nine points before Morris made a
follow shot and Baxter a driving left-handed layup, putting
Maryland ahead 69-56 with 6:24 to play.
The Cardinal were unable to pose a serious threat after that.
Morris, who shot 1-for-11 in Maryland's 76-66 victory over
Georgetown in the regional semifinals, made a 3-point basket to
open the scoring before Jacobsen hit from long range – his
school-record 82nd 3-pointer of the season.
The Cardinal led 24-21 when Baxter went to work inside, scoring
three baskets to spark a 13-4 run, putting the Terps ahead for
good. Morris added four points during the spurt.
It was 34-30 when reserve Nicholas scored five straight points
after a pair of steals by Dixon to give the Terps a 39-30 lead.
A 3-pointer by Holden – another substitute – with four seconds
left in the half gave Maryland its 10-point halftime lead. Holden,
9-of-21 from 3-point range in Maryland's previous 34 games, was
3-of-4 in this game.
The sellout crowd of 18,008 at Anaheim Arena clearly favored the
Pac-10 champion Cardinal over the Terrapins of the Atlantic Coast
Conference, playing 3,000 miles from home.
In the end, it didn't matter as the Cardinal, ranked second in
the final Associated Press poll, failed in their attempt for a
second Final Four berth in four years.
Maryland, ranked 11th, reached the third round for the fifth
time in eight years before advancing to its first regional final
since 1975.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Maryland Clubhouse
Stanford Clubhouse
Stanford never in control against Maryland
Graney: Desperate measures for Terps
Duke's dynamic duo too much for USC to handle
Full-Court Press: Saturday, March 24
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Coach Gary Williams joins Shelley Smith after Maryland's upset over Stanford.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
ESPN's Shelley Smith looks at Maryland's road to its first Final Four appearance.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 ESPN's Shelley Smith talks with Lonny Baxter after the Terrapins' victory over Stanford.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Coach Gary Williams could see the confidence in his Maryland team (Courtesy: NCAA Productions).
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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