They are nearly over the disappointment of last season's defeat to Maryland in the NCAA championship game. They are probably past the jet lag from last week's trip to Hawaii, where they won the Maui Invitational.

The Indiana Hoosiers will come into tonight's rematch with the Terrapins at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis hoping to avenge that loss while trying to keep their level of play as high as it has been in a 4-0 start.

Like Maryland, Indiana has reshaped its roster from the one that made a six-game run last March. And, like the Terps, the Hoosiers are incorporating a couple of freshmen into their rotation.

"I think we're better than last year's team at this point of the season," Indiana coach Mike Davis said from Bloomington on Friday. "I think we have the potential to be better than last year's team."

After losing three starters, including sophomore forward Jared Jeffries, the Hoosiers were regarded similarly to Maryland - a potential NCAA tournament team for which the jury was still out.

As a result, Indiana was not a consensus Top 25 pick going into the season.

"I was disappointed to see the rankings, but the only way to prove people wrong is the way we proved them wrong last year," said Davis, who had to do that himself after replacing the legendary Bob Knight before the 2000-01 season. "You just have to win."

Indiana's victory over Virginia in the championship game in Maui showed the Hoosiers should be in good shape. With some of the veterans in foul trouble, freshmen Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland played key roles.

Wright, a 6-foot-3 guard from outside Houston, finished with 21 points against the Cavaliers and leads Indiana in scoring with 17 points a game. Strickland, a 6-2 guard from Mount Airy who played at South Carroll High, scored 15.

"They're not really freshmen, to be honest," Davis said. "Marshall had to learn more than Bracey because he's a point guard. I have so many plays I run. You watch him play against Virginia and he looked like he's a senior."

Said Strickland: "I just knew that I had to be ready when my name was called. Coach called on me against Virginia. It was definitely good to get that under my belt, just so I could settle in and do what I could do out there."

Wright is the first freshman to score in double figures in each of his first four games since Calbert Cheaney in 1989-90. Wright has helped fill the scoring void that was expected after Jeffries left for the NBA.

"Bracey is a go-to guy, and most go-to guys need the ball all the time," Davis said after Wright scored 21 in an 85-58 win Sunday over North Texas. "He doesn't need the ball all the time. He just takes it when it gets it and just makes plays."

Tonight should be an interesting test for Strickland, given his Maryland connection. After choosing the Hoosiers over the Terps as well as Wake Forest, Strickland watched last year's championship game at home with his family.

"All my friends are Maryland fans," said Strickland. "My sister went to Maryland. A lot of people around me are going to be pulling for Maryland. I think it's going to be a great game."

The Hoosiers are hoping for a different result from last season's 64-52 defeat at the Georgia Dome.

"I think it's more than just another big game," said senior guard Tom Coverdale. "Whenever you play a team that stopped you from getting a national championship, you're going to play a little harder and be a little more focused."

Said senior forward Jeff Newton: "This is our revenge. They stole something from us last year, and we want to get part of it back. I want us to just go out and play our game, because we owe them something from last year."

That defeat stayed with the Hoosiers for several months, pushing them through their summer workouts and right into the start of preseason conditioning.

"A lot of guys worked really hard," said senior guard Kyle Hornsby. "We had a lot of guys in the weight room. We had guys doing extra conditioning, just trying to better ourselves for the coming year."

Said Coverdale: "I think we worked harder than in any summer since I've been here. The fact that when you get that close to your goal and you don't reach it you'll do anything to get back, when you've experienced that type of success."

The Hoosiers were ranked 21st going into the season, and moved up to 10th yesterday.

Asked about how both Indiana and Maryland were not highly ranked going into the season, Hornsby said: "I think we were both overlooked and underrated coming in. I think we're both looking to prove something."

Davis, whose most recent victory was his 50th at Indiana, said Maryland could have an advantage coming off its second straight trip to the Final Four.

"I think the major difference is Coach [Gary] Williams," said Davis. "He'll be able to handle the situation a lot better with his players. This is the first time I've been in these waters. I'm just trying to keep them focused on playing really good basketball and playing hard."