KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- They don't want to hear it.
Ask Gary Williams about his failure to reach the Elite Eight, and he'll tell you about all the other schools that wish they could be making their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in six seasons.
Ask Laron Profit about his 1-for-11 shooting performance against Creighton, and he'll tell you about all the other things he does on the court and about how no one is ever satisfied.
"I just noticed throughout my career, people are going to criticize me," the senior forward said yesterday on the eve of what could be his final game at Maryland.
"If I play well, then the next game I don't play as well, they're going to say, 'Why doesn't he play this well all the time? Why doesn't he have 35 every game?'
"I'm really past that point of wondering if people are happy with the way I play. We've won 28 games this year. I did what I had to do to help us get to this point. If people aren't happy by now, they'll never be happy."
Williams almost certainly would agree, but no longer is a school-record 28 victories enough for a program that, in Profit's own words, has been "on the cusp of greatness before."
If Williams, Profit and Co. want lasting recognition for all they've achieved, they need to beat St. John's tonight and put Maryland in a regional final for the first time since 1975.
Rest assured, Terps fans will be happy if Maryland justifies its No. 2 seed by beating No. 3 St. John's -- and even happier if Maryland defeats Auburn or Ohio State on Saturday to reach its first Final Four.
But another loss in the Sweet 16, and fans will rightly wonder if this coach and this program will ever seriously contend for the national championship.
Williams is 0-5 in the Sweet 16 -- 0-2 at Boston College, 0-3 at Maryland. This time, though, is different. This time, he's coaching the higher seed.
Maryland is a three-point favorite over a team that took Duke to overtime and handed Indiana its worst NCAA tournament defeat. Maryland beat Stanford and UCLA and North Carolina twice this season.
But now, Maryland must come up big, which isn't exactly its trademark.
"Some people were surprised we didn't jump up and down after we won last week in Florida," Williams said. "I think our seniors had a lot to do with that. They had higher goals.
"That was a pretty good sign for our players to realize that a lot of people thought we should get to the Sweet 16 this year; it wasn't a surprise that we got there. Now do something. That's the challenge."
Do something.
It should be the Terps' rallying cry.
For all the attention given Steve Francis and Terence Morris, Profit is the symbol of this program, a player who delivers much, but always leaves you wanting more.
He scored 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting in the first-round victory over Valparaiso, and his soaring one-handed dunk off an alley-oop pass by Francis remains one of the highlights of the tournament.
But typical of Profit, he followed that performance with his horrid shooting day against Creighton. And typical of Maryland, it followed its 22-point trouncing of Valparaiso with an erratic second half against Creighton, raising questions about the team's killer instinct.
Well, a victory is a victory, especially in the NCAAs. And Profit was a major factor defensively against Creighton, teaming with Danny Miller to hold Rodney Buford to 5-for-17 shooting.
Williams repeated yesterday that Profit does so many things well, that he can contribute without scoring. Injured center Obinna Ekezie also rose to his senior teammate's defense.
"Everybody is talking about his shooting percentage. Nobody is talking about the great defense he played on Buford," Ekezie said. "He shut down their No. 1 option. That was the biggest reason we won the game.
"You can't take that away from him. That's what I've been telling him -- do other things on the court. Those things are not noticed. People look at the stats and say, 'Look, Laron shot 1-for-11. He did not play well.' I did not even think he shot 1-for-11. I thought he played well defensively. He helped our team win."
Profit joked that his game is like "integrated silverware" -- spoons, knives and forks, all combining for a fine dining experience. He admitted that he put too much pressure on himself to shoot well against Creighton. Ekezie keeps telling him to have fun, and tonight that is Profit's goal.
He will never get another chance to reach the Final Four. The Terps might not either, considering that Profit, Ekezie and Terrell Stokes are seniors, and Francis might depart for the NBA next season.
"You can't really worry about what people are going to say or remember you as," Profit said. "All that stuff is good and sentimental 20 years from now. But we can't do this for what people want. Right now, we have to be selfish. The bottom line is, we've got to do this for us."
Williams spoke again yesterday of how far the program has come since his arrival in 1989, when the NCAA sanctions hit and Sweet 16 appearances seemed a distant dream. But the question now -- for Profit, for Williams, for everyone -- is how far the program can go.
"When I got here, anything I did was considered great. There were no expectations of me," Profit said. "Now as I'm leaving, anything I do, I can't please anybody. The expectations have grown so much, no matter what I do, I can't make anybody happy."
Oh, yes he can, and so can his team.
Do something.
Do it tonight.
Pub Date: 3/18/99