Should Maryland reach the quarterfinals, where it would meet top-seeded North Carolina, Williams expects the crowd to be more on the Terps' side. But a victory over ninth-seeded Clemson (15-14, 5-11) will not be easy. The Tigers, who have won four of their past six games, are confident they know how to beat the Terps, having done it twice already.
"It's better than losing to them twice for our confidence," Clemson Coach Oliver Purnell said. "But [our players] understand that we're going to be playing a very motivated Maryland team that is the defending tournament champion. Beating them twice, it doesn't necessary mean a lot when you are playing a game under different circumstances in a different part of the year. But certainly we go into the game believing we can win."
Clemson's Sharrod Ford, left, beats Maryland's Nik Caner-Medley to a loose ball during the Tigers' 97-93 win on Feb. 22. Ford had 49 points and 20 rebounds in two wins over Maryland.
(Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post)
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In addition to Ford's stellar performances against Maryland, Clemson also got impressive efforts from less heralded players. Guard Shawan Robinson scored 22 points in the Tigers' Feb. 1 victory. Point guard Vernon Hamilton, who had struggled early in the season, had four steals in Clemson's Feb. 22 win at Comcast Center.
"We let a lot of guys who weren't that much of scorers score a lot of points," Jones said.
Conversely, Maryland's point guard, John Gilchrist, has been erratic this season but proved he could carry his team during last season's ACC tournament, when he earned MVP honors. Despite Gilchrist's inconsistency, teammates have publicly supported him and said they expect Gilchrist to have a strong tournament.
"He's our leader," McCray said. "He's our workhorse."
If Maryland wants to turn back the clock to March 2004, it must start at noon today.
Said McCray, "We have to go out there and fight for our lives."
Terrapins Notes: Maryland freshman James Gist remains day-to-day after suffering a bruised knee in practice Monday. Williams said yesterday that Gist's fall initially looked "bad," but there was no ligament damage.
