Terps Are Up to Tall Task

Common sense would dictate that the Maryland Terrapins don't have much of a chance against the reigning NCAA champion Arizona Wildcats in an NCAA tournament West Region semifinal tonight in Anaheim, Calif.

However, that may not be the case. Events of the past week have shown that in the Division I basketball tournament anything is possible and, in fact, a victory by the Terrapins may be more likely than finding the person who picked a Valparaiso-Rhode Island matchup for the round of 16 in the office pool.

Maryland will relish the role of underdog and the opportunity to play Arizona. The game will be on national television and represent the first true test of the tournament for the talented Wildcats.

The Terps have the experience of playing top-ranked Duke, North Carolina and Kansas this season. They beat Kansas and North Carolina, going a combined 2-3 with one heartbreaking loss to North Carolina in the ACC tournament semifinals. The bad news is that Arizona probably resembles Duke — which demolished the Terps, 104-72 and 86-59 — more than either the Jayhawks or Tar Heels.

The Wildcats are perimeter-oriented and can score points in a hurry from several different spots. To beat Arizona, all the stars have to be in line for Maryland, but in a tournament with so many surprises, a win by the Terps would rank as only the fourth- or fifth-biggest surprise we've seen.

The first thing that needs to happen is a smoothing of the hills and valleys that usually mark Maryland's efforts. One bad two-minute stint could mean a 10-0 run by Arizona and the ballgame. In games since the first of the year, Arizona has blistered opponents in the most important games and has done it with amazingly consistent offensive numbers.

When Maryland beat North Carolina in College Park in January it did so by playing a good deal of zone defense and by giving the Tar Heels different looks on both ends of the floor. This is a great time of the season to play zone defense. (You don't see it much more in college basketball because the three-point line is so close.) Teams play mostly man-to-man defense during the tournament and thus practice against it far more than they do against zones. In addition, those 19- and 20-footers that are sometimes easily drained in January are much harder to hit when the pressure of a trip to the next round is on the line. Arizona should have to prove to the Terps that it can regularly bury the three-pointer in this game.

If Arizona point guard Mike Bibby leaves college and comes out in this year's NBA draft he could easily be the first player selected, but that doesn't mean you can't test him. Give him the added responsibility of recognizing defenses and getting teammates involved. This also should help to keep down the score and cool the tempo.

On the offensive end Maryland's mantra should be attack, attack, attack. Maryland has offensive talent, but anytime you match up with an opponent of this caliber, it puts a premium on finishing plays inside and on getting to the free throw line early and often. One positive sign to look for early is how often the Terps get to the foul line — it's a good indicator of offensive aggressiveness and will allow Maryland to control tempo, get easy points, set up pressure and create foul trouble.

As has been the case all season, a significant part of the Terrapins' hopes will ride on the play of point guard Terrell Stokes. All he has to do is handle Arizona's pressure, create offensive opportunities for his teammates and defend the best back-court player in the country when Maryland plays man-to-man. Piece of cake, right? It would, of course, be a great help to the Maryland cause if Stokes plays well, and doing that in this game means making the right choices.

Maryland and Stokes enter this game knowing that they have competed well against the best on given nights and that Arizona is 0-2 against the ACC this season (with losses to Duke and Florida State). All the pressure should be on the Wildcats.

Chris Knoche is a former American University basketball coach who works as a radio commentator for CBS Sports and WTEM-980.

© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company

Back to the top

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZMSxedKrrWiroKS%2Ftb%2BOnKalmpGouHC4zqeerZ2ionxyhZhxZqadnmSus8DInKOeq1%2BYrrW%2FkHJloayd