They trickled into the locker room wearing freshly cut pieces of net stuffed into their visors. Senior tri-captain Mike Mardesich modeled the latest in T-shirts -- a little gray number that read, 2001 NCAA Regional Champions. There were bear hugs and hand slaps. Someone even broke out a verse of James Taylor's Fire and Rain. Who knows why.

And then there was Terps guard Juan Dixon, who walked into the cramped room hugging the Rawlings ball used in Maryland's 87-73 victory against late, great Stanford. He bounced it. Dribbled it. Then he sat down in front of his dressing stall and tucked the leather under his right arm. "I'll give it to Coach [Gary] Williams, it's his," said Dixon."But I want to feel it for a second. I just want to hold it."

That's what happens when you reach the Final Four, as Maryland did for the first time in its long, storied and sometimes tragic basketball history. You want to cling to the moment. In Maryland's case it was a chance to further separate itself from the memories of Len Bias, from the Bob Wade debacle, from the Sweet 16 failures, from this season's collapse against Duke, from the loss to woeful Florida State, from the annual Williams bashing. "I can't put it into words," said Dixon. "I know it's the greatest feeling I've ever had in my life."

Multiply it by 100 and you know how Williams the Maryland alum must feel. This is his 11th NCAA tournament. Until Thursday he'd never made it past a regional semifinal -- not that he needed a reminder. But rather than stick it to every Charlie-from-College Park talk show caller, Williams decided to go light on the postgame vindication theme. He was gracious, even conciliatory. "I'll enjoy this," he said. "At the same time, I'm just happy for everybody involved."

But Williams knows what a big deal this is. Someone asked when he last snipped away a net from a rim. Williams took about, oh, a nanosecond before he recited the answer: 1970 ... he was coaching Woodrow Wilson High School ... beat East Orange High ... finished 27-0. Any other questions? Williams didn't dab away any tears after this one. It's not his style. But assistant coach Billy Hahn, another Maryland grad, isn't so reserved. He jumped into fellow assistant Dave Dickerson's arms like they were newlyweds. Then he hugged his boss.

"I love you," he gushed.

Hahn has seen Williams take the heat for the last 12 years. "We've been through some hell," he said. Now this -- a little slice of heaven.

Maryland beat Stanford because it did the three things Terp coaches said it had to do: win on the boards; limit easy baskets; and take the ball at Stanford's Collins twins -- not exactly the most athletic guys in the game. It worked. The Terps outrebounded the Cardinal, 33-28, fast breaks and open shots for Casey Jacobsen were kept to a mininum, and Lonny Baxter scorched the Twins for 24 points.

As the clock moved toward zeroes, you could see Dixon chirping with Stanford's Ryan Mendez. It wasn't anything serious. In fact, a few moments later, Mendez patted Dixon on the back. And afterward, Dixon passed up an easy chance to dis the Pac-10 and West Coast hoops.

"Y'all ain't wussies," he said of Californians. "I like y'all a lot."

Meanwhile, in the nearby NCAA communications center, a t-shirt rep stacked a couple of unopened boxes on a counter. Inside the boxes were 46 Stanford West Regional Champion T-shirts. "They'll most likely go to homeless shelters, or get destroyed," said the rep.

Speaking of destruction ...

Maryland now books it flight to Minneapolis and a fourth meeting against Duke. That's what the Maryland fans were chanting at the Arrowhead Pond Saturday: "Bring on Duke! Bring on Duke!" -- the same Blue Devil team that overcame a 10-point Maryland lead in the last 54 seconds of regulation and eventually beat the Terps in OT at College Park.

But at this point, anything seems possible to the Terps.