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The edge

NCAA men's basketball tournament final: Maryland vs. Indiana

By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 1, 2002

Who has the edge?

3-pt shooting

The Hoosiers showed, in the words of Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson, that their long-range deftness against Kent State in the South Region final was "no fluke." Even with junior point guard Tom Coverdale limited by his injured left ankle, the Hoosiers made all six 3-pointers in the second half against Oklahoma in Saturday's national semifinal and 8 of 13 overall. Seven different Hoosiers hit a 3 in that win. Maryland doesn't have as many 3-point threats, but senior All-America guard Juan Dixon is the most dangerous on the floor. He hit 5 of 11 against Kansas and is 20 of 39 in the NCAA Tournament.

Edge: Indiana

Free throws

Maryland has made 104 of 126 (82 percent) in the NCAA Tournament, including 26 of 35 against Kansas. Although junior guard Steve Blake, an 81 percent shooter during the season, was uncharacteristically Shaq-like Saturday (5 of 9), Dixon has been virtually automatic (25 of 29) in the NCAA Tournament. Indiana has shot 84 of 128 (65.6 percent) during the tournament, which has not been costly. But timing is everything. The Hoosiers have made them late. Freshman point guard Donald Perry was 5 of 6 in the final 1:04 against Oklahoma.

Edge: Maryland

Rebounds

The Terrapins have been a strong rebounding team with wide-body senior center Lonny Baxter, dazzling sophomore forward Chris Wilcox and senior forward Byron Mouton. Dixon and Blake get to the boards well. The Hoosiers lack bulk, but sophomore forward Jared Jeffries and junior forward Jeff Newton, the hero off the bench against Oklahoma, use their quickness and long limbs well. But here is a key stat from Saturday's games: IU had five offensive rebounds; Maryland had 13.

Edge: Maryland

Defense

The Hoosiers might not be the most athletically gifted, but they have a top-shelf perimeter stopper in physical senior guard Dane Fife (he limited OU star Hollis Price to 1 of 11 shooting) and shot blockers in Jeffries and Newton, which can make up for the few perimeter breakdowns. IU is allowing an average of 65.8 points in the tournament. Maryland's high-powered offense (87.4 points in the NCAAs) overshadows its defense, but the Terps can get after it, especially on the perimeter with Dixon and Blake. For the year, they've held opponents to 31.3 percent from 3-point range.

Edge: Maryland

Bench

The Hoosiers' bench of Newton, sophomore guard A.J. Moye, Perry and seldom-used junior center George Leach saved the day in the semifinal. They combined for 41 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 blocks. OU's bench had 12 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. Maryland's reserves of junior forward Tahj Holden, junior guard Drew Nicholas and junior center Ryan Randle played a critical role against Kansas, combining for 22 points and nine rebounds. Holden and Randle offset the subpar performance of the foul-plagued Baxter (a season-low four points).

Edge: Indiana

Coaching

Maryland's Gary Williams and Indiana's Mike Davis are in the title game for the first time. Williams is in his second straight Final Four and you would think that would help him prepare his team a bit better. But Davis has pushed the right buttons at the right time. He is used to being the underdog after taking over for fired icon Bob Knight two years ago and is sure to play on the "Let's shock the world" theme again tonight.

Edge: Indiana

Intangibles

The Hoosiers are sure to be the crowd favorite in a game that looks a lot like the final matchup in the movie Hoosiers. They also are 5-0 in NCAA championship games. The Terps, in the title game for the first time, have been on a mission after their meltdown in last season's semifinal loss to eventual champion Duke, when they blew a 22-point first-half lead.

Edge: Maryland

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