ORLANDO, Fla. -- Bootsy Thornton couldn't conceal his glee.

His big chance to play against Maryland Thursday in the South Regional semifinals in Knoxville, Tenn., had finally arrived after yesterday's 86-61 victory over Indiana and he was already psyched up.

"Maryland didn't recruit me," said Thornton, who landed at St. John's University by way of Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College. "They made a mistake. I wasn't a Maryland fan growing up, but I did follow the careers of Keith Booth and Rodney Elliott. I was a UNLV fan. Playing Maryland is going to give a lot of my friends a chance to hear a lot about me and see me play."

Thornton is another in a long line of former Dunbar standouts and was a Proposition 48 in the classroom, prompting Maryland to back off.

So the 6-foot-4 guard headed to the junior college ranks and proved he could play enough to earn a scholarship from the Red Storm for his junior and senior seasons.

Thornton has been an instant hit in Queens, N.Y., for St. John's and yesterday he paid more dividends by leading the Big East team to a surprising rout in the second-round game.

Thornton scored a game-high 17 points, had three steals, two assists and three rebounds.

When asked if he felt sorry for the Indiana players having to deal with the incendiary Bob Knight during such an embarrassing loss, Thornton said, "No. They knew what they were getting into when they agreed to go there.

"Don't let that smile of Mike Jarvis [St. John's coach] fool you. He is a tough disciplinarian, but he also has a nice side."

Miller time

Freshman wing forward Danny Miller hit one of his six shots against Creighton, but he still made a difference in Maryland's second-round win. Miller had three steals, four rebounds and some slick passes in the first half, when foul trouble forced Maryland to go with a small lineup.

"We've done that before, down at N.C. State," Miller said of a game the Terps played the day after Obinna Ekezie's season-ending injury. "When a team tries to go small and quick, we can do the same."

The rise in Miller's confidence has been visible in recent weeks, as he appears more comfortable in Maryland's traps and half-court offenses. He played a season-high 24 minutes yesterday, and he's averaging more than 20 minutes per game in the postseason.

Saturday struggles

It was not a good shooting day for the players who man the three spot, as Laron Profit continued his struggle with Saturdays in March.

He committed six turnovers in an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinal loss to North Carolina, and yesterday suffered through a 1-for-11 shooting day, the only success coming on an alley-oop. The percentage of .091 was his worst since he went 0-for-7 against Duke last season.

Profit played 32 minutes, while Steve Francis and Terence Morris each played 36. The sophomore forward had 18 of his 20 points and nine of his 12 rebounds in the first half.

No old rivals

Williams wanted no part of focusing the Sweet 16 matchup on himself and Jarvis, the St. John's coach who spent the eight previous seasons at George Washington.

Williams and Jarvis were instrumental in getting the BB&T; Classic going in 1995. Maryland has typically ruled the in-season tournament, but last season Jarvis and GW upset the Terps in the championship game.

"I respect Mike as a coach," said Williams, who notched his 399th college coaching win. "I know him, but I don't see where there's any edge, because he knows exactly what we're doing. I knew him back when I was at Boston College and he was at Cambridge Rindge & Latin."

Jarvis coached Patrick Ewing at that Boston high school.

"I don't know how much our history helps," Jarvis said. "It's still up to the kids."

Miscellaneous

Maryland lowered its field-goal percentage defense to .387. The Terps had 23 field goals, and the only game they've had fewer was their Dec. 6 win over Stanford. The 23 turnovers was Maryland's second-highest total of the season, as they had 28 in a romp over Pittsburgh in Puerto Rico. Francis had his second double double of the season. Creighton has not reached the round of 16 since 1974, when the NCAA held a 25-team tournament.

Record season

With yesterday's victory, Maryland set a school record for victories in a season. Seasons with 25 or more victories:

Season Rec. Postseason

'98-99 28-5 NCAA Sweet 16

'71-72 27-5 NIT champion

'94-95 26-8 NCAA Sweet 16

'84-85 25-12 NCAA Sweet 16

Pub Date: 3/14/99