Having crossed the threshold into the upper echelon of college basketball in 2001, Maryland finds itself cocked to explode into the 2002 Final Four, looking to claim a national championship that it certainly possesses the talent to capture.
However, the same assassin, with no love lost, may not be ready to bow down to its conference adversary quite yet. After having purchased its bulletproof vests long ago, Duke has been impervious to their foes' improvement throughout the Gary Williams' era.
"When you are in a league with a team that has been the best team in the country for the last 10 years, there will always be questions about how you match up with Duke," Williams said. "But there are too many other good teams that you have to play to focus on one team.
"We lost to Duke three times last year and still made it to the Final Four, so Duke doesn't control our year. They
Regardless of whether Williams uttered those words in truth or in an attempt to deflect the rampant chatter about his team's fixation with their fierce rivals, on paper the Terrapins remain one of the strongest teams from top to bottom in the country.
Nobody can deny Lonny Baxter's emergence as one of the premier big men in college basketball. Ending last season with 15.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, the 6-foot-8, 260-pound Maryland-bred behemoth nabbed the most outstanding player award of the NCAA's West region en route to leading his team to the Final Four. Perennially underestimated, Baxter enters the year hoping to garner respect from NBA scouts.
Baxter will receive some much needed help underneath from junior college transfer Ryan Randle, junior Tahj Holden and sophomore Chris Wilcox.
And that's saying a lot considering the talent the Terrapins have in the backcourt.
Drew Nicholas, who boasts a 42-percent average from behind the arc and excellent overall skills, does not see any action at the opening tipoff because, with junior assist-specialist Steve Blake at point guard and the high-flying, 18-points-per-game scorer Juan Dixon at the two-guard, Maryland possesses one of the best 1-2 tandems in the nation.
However, Williams still cannot help comparing his backcourt to Duke's. "Steve Blake and Juan Dixon are a really good combination," he said. "But in our league, we are looking at a Chris Duhon and a Jason Williams, which is probably the best backcourt in the country."
With unlimited skill but a wobbly hand, Maryland will once again take aim at a national championship, knowing full well whom it will have to defeat on its journey.
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