No. 2 Maryland (26-5) vs. No. 15 Valparaiso (23-8)
What: First round, NCAA tournament South Regional
Where: Orlando (Fla.) Arena
When: Today, 12: 20 p.m.
TV/Radio: Chs. 13, 9/WBAL (1090 AM)
How they got here: The Terps considered themselves contenders for an NCAA title last summer, and a strong regular season made their sixth straight at-large appearance a foregone conclusion. Valparaiso shared the regular-season title with Oral Roberts in the Mid-Continent Conference, and took the MCC tournament for the fourth straight year with wins over Chicago State, Western Illinois and Oral Roberts.
Conference records: The Terps were 13-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Valparaiso was 10-4 in the MCC.
Rankings: No. 5 Maryland has been ranked no lower than No. 7 this season. Valparaiso is unranked.
Coaches: Gary Williams is 190-117 in 10 seasons at Maryland, and 397-245 in 21 seasons overall. Homer Drew is 167-155 in 11 seasons at Valparaiso, and 436-277 in 23 seasons overall.
NCAA tournament records: Maryland is 19-15 in 15 previous appearances. The Terps reached regional finals in 1973 and '75, and regional semifinals six other times, most recently last season. Valparaiso, making its fourth straight appearance, reached the Sweet 16 last year.
Key matchups: Zoran Viskovic, a GTE Academic All-American, would have given Obinna Ekezie fits in the classroom and on the court. Freshman Lonny Baxter will have his hands full with the 6-foot-11, 260-pound center from Croatia. Freshman Lubos Barton was recruited by several major programs, and he'll test Laron Profit. Terrell Stokes needs to dominate Greg Tonagel at the point.
What Maryland has to do to win: The Terps need to follow the recipe that got them a school-record 25 wins in the regular season. Look for them to pressure freshman point guard Tonagel. The Crusaders like to run, but they can't get up and down the floor with Maryland.
What Valparaiso has to do to win: Tonagel must handle the Terps' traps and get the Crusaders into a half-court game. If Valparaiso can slow the pace, spread the floor and get Baxter and Mike Mardesich in foul trouble, that could cause problems for the Terps.
Bottom line: Maryland has too much Steve Francis for Valparaiso, which doesn't have anyone who can stop the second-team All-American. After winning two games in the tournament last season, the Crusaders have the respect of the Terps, who should advance for the fourth time in six years. -- Pub Date: 3/11/99