ORLANDO, Fla. -- Steve Francis is a second-team All-American.

Milo Stovall was named to the Mid-Continent Conference All-Newcomer team.

The Francis story has been hyped by everyone except Barbara Walters, and yesterday he was surrounded again by minicams and notebooks. Stovall is a household name at his home in Kalamazoo, Mich., but he and his teammates talk about leaving a lasting impression on the NCAA basketball tournament.

Francis is the straw who stirs the drink for Maryland, which will take a No. 5 national ranking and a South Regional second seed into today's (12: 20 p.m.) first-round game at the Orlando Arena. Stovall is one of the components on a balanced Valparaiso team that the Terps should take as seriously as the Crusaders do them.

"I knew Steve Francis was going to be good before the season even started," Stovall said. "I saw Maryland a lot of times on ESPN, and I didn't know he could shoot that good. That said, to me, he's no different than anyone else. He puts his pants on like everybody else."

The Francis-Stovall matchup leans heavily in Maryland's favor, but the Valpo freshman's credentials are solid in their own right. Kind of like the Crusaders, who are obscured by their membership in the Mid-Continent, a less-than-mid-major conference that coach Homer Drew has dominated for five straight seasons.

Like Francis, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound Stovall first attended a prep school in New England to get his academics in order. He turned down a late scholarship offer to stay in his home state and play for Michigan State to attend Valparaiso. He's a combo guard, a solid rebounder who averages more than three assists a game.

Stovall has more than a decent pedigree, as do many of his teammates. Small forward Lubos Barton, from the Czech Republic, might be the nation's best unknown freshman. Zoran Viskovic, a 6-11, 260-pound load from Croatia, was rated the fourth-best senior center prospect by the Sporting News -- ahead of Maryland's injured Obinna Ekezie.

Ivan Vujic is a concern for slumping power forward Terence Morris, who has been forced to shoulder a heavier inside load since Ekezie's college career was ended by injury.

Maryland (26-5), which has won 14 of its last 16 games, wants to push the pace and match the school record for victories in a season. Valparaiso (23-8) wants to handle the pressure employed by coach Gary Williams, dictate a half-court game and pull off an upset that would be even more shocking than its defeat of fourth-seeded Mississippi last season, when the Crusaders went as far as the Terps.

Valparaiso has been dubbed the "Young Guns." Drew is missing four starters from last year's team, including his son, Bryce, who's now with the Houston Rockets.

He also has to do without the element of surprise the Crusaders had last year, but this time Valparaiso has a chip on its shoulder. Drew said his team was wronged by the NCAA in the seeding process, and as he said "we have utilized the history" involving the No. 15 seed.

The 2 vs. 15 first-round matchup has gone to the underdog on three occasions, and each resonates deeply with Williams.

South Carolina fell two years ago to Coppin State, which scored a landmark win over Williams' first Maryland team. Santa Clara was a giant killer in 1993, before it knocked off the Terps in 1996. When Richmond beat Syracuse in 1991, it was at Cole Field House.

Chew on this: Valparaiso has as many NCAA appearances (three) and wins (two) as do Laron Profit, Terrell Stokes and Williams over the last three seasons.

"They're well-coached," Williams said of Valparaiso. "They run a good offense, and we have to be sound defensively."

Maryland is coming off a mild upset loss to North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals. Before that game, the Terps were asked more questions about Duke than the Tar Heels, and they better understand that they can't look ahead to Saturday's second round, and a possible date with Louisville or Creighton.

Valparaiso opened the season with wins over South Carolina and Seton Hall. Drew later sent his team to Illinois and Purdue, but said the Crusaders haven't encountered anyone with Maryland's quickness.

"We don't want to play their style," Stovall said. "They've got great athletes who can get up and down the court. We like to run when we can, but "

And what does Francis think about his matchup in his first NCAA tournament?

"He [Stovall] is a real athletic guy, someone who demands a lot of attention," said Francis, who then turned his answer on the Terps. "Hopefully, we've got six games to play. Our defense has to be a factor. We have to come out and play defense. I want to shake my man up from the start, get up on him from the opening tip."

Terps today

Opponent: Valparaiso

What: NCAA tournament South Regional first round

When: 12: 20 p.m.

Where: Orlando (Fla.) Arena

TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WBAL (1090 AM)

Seeds: Maryland No. 2, Valparaiso No. 15

Line: Maryland by 19 1/2

Pub Date: 3/11/99