ORLANDO, Fla. -- A year ago, the Maryland Terrapins needed Obinna Ekezie to reach the Sweet 16. Yesterday, they not only made it without him, but also played a critical juncture of the first half without any center at all.
How much longer can the Terps get away with this? For one more game at least, against a St. John's team with no starter taller than 6 feet 7. And seeing as how Auburn barely slipped past Oklahoma State, maybe beyond.
The Terps weren't perfect in their 75-63 victory over Creighton, but they again displayed their trademark versatility, overcoming Lonny Baxter's foul trouble, a box-and-one defense on Steve Francis and a surprisingly resilient opponent.
Clearly, they will need to play better against St. John's on Thursday in Knoxville, Tenn., without the kind of lapses that allowed Creighton to reduce a 21-point second-half deficit to 10.
But even without Ekezie, this is Gary Williams' best chance to reach his first regional final in his 21 seasons as a head coach -- a testament to Williams' ability to adjust to the loss of his senior center, and the all-around ability of his team.
Maryland could easily fall to St. John's, a team that took Duke to overtime earlier this season, and yesterday handed Indiana its worst NCAA tournament defeat, 86-61. But it could have been worse after losing Ekezie. A lot worse.
The Terps are 8-1 since losing a player who had started 90 of their previous 91 games to a season-ending Achilles' injury. And it's not as if they're getting stellar play out of their other centers, Baxter and Mike Mardesich.
Bax ter, the freshman starter, finished with 16 points yesterday, but contributed as many fouls (three) as minutes in the first half. Mardesich, a 7-foot sophomore, is in full regression, shooting 21.7 percent since Jan. 31.
Should either even play significant minutes against St. John's? Mardesich will have no place in a game featuring so many quick players. And Baxter might be overmatched defensively against senior center Tyrone Grant.
Williams never even used the 6-9 Brian Watkins yesterday. The Terps stretched a six-point advantage into a 13-point halftime lead when the coach went to a lineup of ball-handlers -- Francis, Terrell Stokes, Danny Miller, Laron Profit and Terence Morris.
Of that group, Morris is the tallest player at 6-9. Miller, like Baxter, is 6-8, but 20 pounds lighter. And when Williams inserts Juan Dixon, the Terps get even smaller and skinnier.
It's a far cry from earlier this season, when Williams could go 7-0, 6-10 and 6-9 up front with Mardesich, Ekezie and Morris. He first experimented with the smaller lineup out of necessity at N.C. State on Feb. 10, one day after losing Ekezie.
Yesterday, he made it part of his game plan.
"If you have to, you have to," Williams said. "We don't get real small. We just play with more guards in that situation. At the other end of the court, you're tough to cover, too. There are some bad matchups for the other team."
Not that Baxter can be dismissed -- his 16 points came in 14 minutes, and he made six of nine shots. But Miller is more valuable in an up-tempo game, even if his statistics (four points on 1-for-6 shooting, four turnovers, three steals, four rebounds) only hinted at his contribution.
The bottom line is, the Terps would be even deeper with Ekezie's veteran inside presence, even if Baxter offers better interior passing, improving the flow of their half-court offense.
Ekezie, wearing a walking cast to protect his right foot, again encouraged his teammates from the bench yesterday, then joined Profit, Stokes and Williams in the post-game interview room.
He only wishes he could do more.
"It's killing me inside," he said in the happy but subdued Maryland locker room. "I worked so hard to get here, it's an awful feeling sitting on the bench.
"What I give the team is somebody who can make a move in there and score, a low-post presence. I could create my own shot. I'm taller than Lonny. It's a little harder for him to get his shot off sometimes. But Lonny is doing a great job for us."
Baxter, in turn, is grateful for Ekezie's help -- "He talks to me all the time. He really keeps me in it." The Terps need him, especially with Mardesich playing so poorly. If they meet Auburn in the regional final, they'll face a 7-foot center, Mamadou N'diaye.
A year ago, Ekezie hit six straight free throws in the final two minutes to lift Maryland into the Sweet 16 with a 65-61 victory over Illinois. How much better is this team? Yesterday, the Terps scored 45 first-half points against Creighton's box-and-one.
But now, they face St. John's.
"They have quickness at every position," Williams said. "That was the reason they played with Duke so well. Not many teams can sustain that quickness for as long as St. John's did in that game."
Maryland met Connecticut, a similar Big East opponent, in the Sweet 16 four years ago. The Terps were the lower seed that day. They lacked senior starters. And their 99-89 defeat proved to be Joe Smith's finale.
"It's similar, but we might be playing better right now," Williams said. "That team got a little flat. We're pretty poised."
They're in the Sweet 16 without a player who helped get them there last season. They're in the Sweet 16, and they're good enough to make it up as they go along.
Next for Terps Opponent: St. John's (27-8) What: NCAA tournament South Regional semifinal Site: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn. When: Thursday, time TBA TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WBAL (1090 AM) Seeds: Maryland No. 2, St. John's No. 3 Pub Date: 3/14/99