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Tuesday, March 27
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As in Maryland's first trip to the Final Four. From Lucas to Francis, Bias to Booth and Elmore to Smith, these 2000-01 Terps did something none before them had done.
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Battier back
for Final act
Duke and Shane Battier in the Final Four somehow seems predetermined. It just makes sense to have Duke come out of the East Region and be in Minneapolis next week. It's one final stage for a star worthy of the attention.
More ...
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What A Ride!
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Maryland's Mike Mardesich just may be willing to carry teammate LaRon Cephas all the way to Minneapolis.
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Question of the Day
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How did Duke and Maryland get to the Final Four?
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ESPN.com's Andy Katz
Maryland played more relaxed during this tournament despite feeling the weight of the world on its shoulders to get to the Elite Eight. The Terps also went with their strength, running and going inside to Lonny Baxter as much as possible. They got contributions from the bench and exploited their depth over Stanford and Georgetown. And Gary Williams didn't force his desire to get to the Elite Eight and ultimately the Final Four on his players. They played as if they had something to prove, but not to the point where they played tight. Duke stayed with its strength of Jason Williams and Shane Battier. Chris Duhon was a difference-maker against USC in the second half but the Blue Devils got to the Final Four because their two big guns stepped up during this tournament. Getting Carlos Boozer back simply added to the overall confidence of this team. Coach Mike Krzyzewski pulled off another brilliant coaching performance by maximizing his talent and putting together the pieces while Boozer was out.
ESPN's Dick Vitale
Having the best 1-2 punch in America has been the key for Duke. It has been the "Jason Williams-Shane Battier Show" for the Blue Devils throughout the tournament. They combined for 58 points against Missouri, 58 against UCLA and 48 in Saturday's win over USC. A combo like that will get you out of any region. Maryland has shown depth and the ability to dictate pace after struggling against George Mason. Saturday was a perfect example of having many contributors. Lonny Baxter was the PTP'er, but Tahj Holden came off the bench and hit several key trifectas. Baxter and Juan Dixon have been outstanding, but don't forget Steve Blake, the maestro who runs the offensive show.
ESPN's Len Elmore
Duke's supreme confidence, their execution -- particularly on the defensive end -- and Jason Williams are the main reasons why the Blue Devils have survived the East Region and are moving on to the Final Four. They were always able to exercise multiple traps and throw teams out of their rhythm. Williams is a terrific playmaker, and not just in the guard/assist realm. He makes a play where there seems to be none. Maryland got out of the West region by exercising their strengths: playing very tight defense and developing an inside-outside game offensively. Lonny Baxter was tremendous during the two regional games. Even though he was undersize by comparison, he exercised his ability to shoot the ball and gave the Terrapins consistency. When they have that consistency, they can open it up for guys like Juan Dixon. Also, the depth of Maryland's bench was a tremendous asset. They never feared foul trouble, which gave Williams a lot of flexibility.
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Saturday's Storylines
PLAYER OF DAY..............................
Lonny Baxter. Who says 2 is better than 1? Baxter held his own and then some vs. the Collins twins, outscoring Stanford's 7-footers 24-21. Baxter also grabbed six rebounds, one less than the Collins combined to find off the glass.
RANDOM THOUGHTS.............................
We kind of figured Duke would have to get through the same ACC team for a fourth time. But Maryland wasn't that team. Still, the Duke-Maryland meeting in Minneapolis will be the second straight year two teams have met for the fourth time in the national semifinals. Michigan State beat Wisconsin for a fourth time last season en route to its national championship. Duke won two of three meetings in the ACC this season. How they won? We won't get into that, again.
Duke is now 30-1 as the East's top seed -- losing only to Florida last year in the regional semifinals.
The 76ers may want to think about drafting Jason Williams (in a couple years, hopefully). The Duke sophomore loves shooting in the First Union Center. In three games this season, he's made 52.5% of his shots from the field (17 of 34 on 3s) and scored 92 points.
While born just minutes apart, Jarron and Jason Collins played their final college game together. Due to injuries, Jason still has two years of eligibility on the court, while his brother figures to be an NBA lottery pick this spring. When both were healthy and started, the Cardinal were 43-3 ... oh, what could have been.
STOCK RISING.....................................
ACC. Talk about volatile. What started at six, was trimmed to three after the first round, now makes up half the Final Four. Depth, or no depth, fans can expect blue-chip results from this conference each season. This is the fifth straight season at least one ACC team has made it this far, and only three times in the past 20 tournaments has the conference failed to send a team to the Final Four.
STOCK FALLING..................................
Pac-10. Arizona started as the conference's poster boys and now is its last chance to reach the Final Four.
HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU................
Visors? Maybe we're not as "hip" as we think, but when did a visor become cool? Steve Spurrier? Yes. Final Four teams? We think not.
USER MESSAGE OF THE DAY..................
How can anybody seed the Zags 12th after the last couple of seasons? Those people who call Gonzaga a Cinderella team are morons. Who cares if East Coast fans don't know about Gonzaga ... the loyal fans who support them do.
-- shizba
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Maryland may have been a No. 3 seed, but only 12.7% Tournament Challege players picked the Terps to reach the Final Four. By contrast, 19.2% picked Stanford. So, by that measure, the Terps ruined the few remaining West brackets still recognizable.
ESPN BRACKETS
Bracket fever has hit ESPN! We have our own Tournament Challenge group, and you can check it out. Check out the featured group Bristol University's Best to see our predictions. SportsCenter anchor Jim Frazier picked both Maryland and Duke to reach the Final Four and leads the way with 870 points.
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"This is why I came back to college basketball. All year I wanted to get back to the Final Four, back to the dance. Now it's time to boogie."
Duke senior Shane Battier on getting back to the Final Four for the second time in three seasons.
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ESPN's Shelley Smith talks with Lonny Baxter after the Terrapins' victory over Stanford.
Coach Gary Williams joins Shelley Smith after Maryland's upset over Stanford.