Motivated Maryland Can Win Tourney

At this point, every sportswriter in the country and every talking head on television has an opinion on who will win the national championship. I will venture my own prediction of what will come to pass this weekend and say that Maryland is going to win its first-ever national tournament this season.

Not only are the Terps looking confident in their abilities after vanquishing Kentucky and Connecticut, but they have also shown that when they play as a team, they are unstoppable.

Some say Kansas is the dominant team in the Final Four and the Jayhawks will cruise to their first NCAA title since 1988. The dominating presence of Drew Gooden and Nick Collison inside and the sharp-shooting abilities of guards Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Boschee guarantee Kansas its third tournament championship in school history.

Those putting their money on the Jayhawks mention the extraordinary depth of their bench, something that is a huge advantage in any game--but it is especially important in a big-time tournament game like the one Kansas will play on Saturday.

Others claim Oklahoma has the advantage going into this weekend. After all, the Sooners survived what was arguably the tournament's toughest bracket. Even though the West's top seed Cincinnati was upset in the second round by UCLA, making it easier for Oklahoma to clear a path to the Final Four, fans of Kelvin Sampson's team argue that the Sooners still had to beat Arizona and a feisty Missouri team to win the West regional.

With players like Aaron McGhee and Hollis Price as well as a reputation for consistency, Oklahoma will surely be a contender for the championship according to their faithful followers. It also doesn't hurt that the Sooners are scheduled to play Indiana--the dark horse in this year's Final Four--on Saturday as opposed to seeing a tougher adversary in either Kansas or Maryland. That Oklahoma beat up on Maryland in the regular season and defeated Kansas in the finals of the Big 12 conference tournament certainly makes the Sooners' chances look good for going all the way this year.

If you hear someone predict that Indiana will win the NCAA title, you probably heard him wrong or else he was not serious. It was a wonderful achievement for Indiana to get this far in the tournament; it is a tribute to the hard work of players like Jared Jeffries and Tom Coverdale as well as the coaching of Mike Davis in his first year at the helm of the program. Nevertheless, no one expected the Hoosiers to be where they are now and no one really expects them to advance any farther.

Which brings me to Maryland. Gary Williams has done an excellent job of getting his team to play up to their abilities and to develop their strengths over the course of this season. The Terrapins are a much better team now than they were a few months ago, when their inconsistency hurt them in a loss to Arizona in the opener and subsequent home losses to Oklahoma, Duke, and North Carolina State.

Lonny Baxter, when he is focused on getting his job done in the paint, is a prolific scorer and a good defender. He can also shoot free throws better than any other big man in college basketball right now, so when he is fouled going to the basket he makes opposing teams pay dearly for it. Chris Wilcox is also a serious threat on the floor. He can drive around anyone and hit his short range jumpers. Not to be forgotten are Byron Mouton, Juan Dixon, and Steve Blake, all excellent guards who are equally disciplined at both ends of the court. Blake, who has an uncanny ability to communicate with his teammates and find Baxter and Wilcox inside, needs to be a little less selfish with the ball this weekend than he has been in the last few games. But when he plays smart and sticks to his role, he has a lot to contribute to his team.

Maryland has everything a team needs to win a national championship--it has a good coach in Williams, a strong group of starters, veteran experience, and a few good bench players like Tahj Holden and Drew Nicholas. One area in which Maryland lacks depth in the back court, comapred to Kansas.

Three key seniors will play for Gary Williams this weekend: Baxter, Dixon, and Mouton. Each of them is experienced and hungry for a national college basketball title. These guys got a small taste of greatness last year, leading the team to its first every Final Four appearance in school history.

Maybe that is what will make the difference for Maryland in this year's Final Four: The fact that Coach Williams' players are big on both talent and heart. I get the impression that the Terrapins want this championship more than any other team, and that they are going to do what it takes to get it.

In a way, Maryland has the most to gain from winning a national title and the least to lose from getting knocked out in the Final Four or title game. Because the team does not have a legacy to live up to, there is not the added pressure to perform this weekend that Kansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma must feel. And if they do win on Saturday and again on Monday, it will mean the world to these players and they will forever be known as bringing their school into the pantheon of top-tier college hoops programs.