ORLANDO, Fla. -- Do not confuse Creighton with Cinderella.
Cinderella teams do not beat both Iowa and Oklahoma State, major conference powers that are still playing in the NCAA tournament. Cinderella does not win the Missouri Valley Conference, which produced as many NCAA teams as the mighty Atlantic Coast Conference.
Creighton wants to sell itself as the humble upstart in the second round of the South Regional, and No. 5 Maryland isn't buying. The Terps saw the Bluejays climb out of a 13-point hole and beat Louisville, and coach Gary Williams and company are prepared for a team that will keep coming at them today (2: 40 p.m.) at the Orlando Arena.
"It's pretty obvious that they've got heart, they've got guts," Williams said. "I really believe Louisville thought they had the game won, but there was no doubt in Creighton's mind that they could come back. You don't get to that point without some toughness about you. That's a good team."
People weren't saying such nice things about the Bluejays a month ago, when they were stumbling along with an 8-7 record in MVC play.
"We were pretty embarrassed by the way we were performing," sophomore point guard
Ryan Sears said. "Stuff was being said about us, about our lack of fight. People were asking those kinds of questions about us. We opened our eyes a little, and we didn't want to be known for that."
The win over Louisville got some real notoriety for a school whose most famous basketball alum, Paul Silas, graduated in 1964.
Creighton is located in Omaha, and is engulfed in the mania over Nebraska football. The Bluejays dropped that sport during World War II and never bothered to reinstate it. Creighton does take its baseball seriously, and this will be the 50th year it has helped play host to the College World Series.
Basketball? Eddie Sutton began his Division I career there, and the Bluejays have been to more tournaments than any other MVC team, but Thursday was only the program's second NCAA win since 1974.
Coach Dana Altman has directed a revival in which Creighton has improved its record in each of his five seasons, but the native of Wilber, a Nebraska town of 1,400, carries an "aw, shucks," manner. He said the Bluejays just want to be as regarded as highly as Xavier, another institution run by the Jesuits.
Xavier didn't make the tournament. Creighton barged in with a shooting star named Rodney Buford and a quick-thinking team that tossed some changeups at Louisville. The 10th-seeded Bluejays use a variety of presses, they like to run, and they've got more than one ballhandler, a must against Maryland.
The second-seeded Terps (27-5), a 13-point favorite to establish a school record for victories and advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in six years, suffocated Valparaiso with their pressure. Creighton has thrived in some difficult environments, and its weapons include a half-court spread that could combat Maryland's traps.
"I can't tell you what that's called," Sears said of a set that befuddled Louisville and includes plenty of dribbling. "When you're trying to combat the kind of traps Maryland can throw at you, it helps to have other ballhandlers."
Like Maryland, Creighton likes to run, and press. Sears matches up with Terrell Stokes, and Buford will get Laron Profit. Ben Walker is a hard-nosed two guard, but he doesn't figure to stick with Steve Francis. Terence Morris could have a big game, but lanky Bluejays center Doug Swenson has better numbers than Lonny Baxter.
Creighton might try a zone, but Maryland had no difficulty against that tactic in the first round.
Lon Kruger helped Altman succeed him at Kansas State in 1990, and the Creighton coach called the Illinois boss yesterday morning for a consultation on Maryland. The Terps beat Kruger and the Fighting Illini at this level a year ago, and Altman is using every edge he can find.
"He told me how difficult a matchup it is," Altman said. "I tried to pick his brain for any clues he can give me."
Altman must be doing a great job coaching free throws, because Creighton has made 37 of 39 in the last five minutes of its four postseason games. Maryland stumbled in that department in the first round, but the Terps know that their margin of error diminishes as the tournament progresses.
Creighton has won seven in a row, and Maryland has won eight of its last nine, the only setback coming in the semifinals of the ACC tournament to North Carolina. The Tar Heels were shown the door by Weber State late Thursday, a reminder of the fragile environment the Terps are in.
"Their [Bluejays'] win over Louisville wasn't a fluke," Profit said. "We understand this isn't a team to take lightly."
Terps today
Opponent: Creighton (22-8)
What: NCAA South Regional second round
When: 2: 40 p.m. Where: Orlando (Fla.) Arena
TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WBAL (1090 AM), WJFK (1300 AM)
Seeds: Maryland No. 2, Creighton No. 10
Line: Maryland by 13
Pub Date: 3/13/99