Championship game preview

By Ross Lancaster Sports Central Columnist

After several months of waiting, it's all come down to this.

One last game in which a champion will be crowned under the Georgia Dome roof.

The two participants will be the Indiana Hoosiers and the Maryland Terrapins, who each won their national semifinal games on Saturday night.

The Terrapins were expected to be in the championship game, while the Hoosiers have exceeded even their fans' most wild expectations.

How They Got Here

Indiana

Indiana got here by beating the favorite once again, this time, Oklahoma, by a count of 73-64. The game started out slow, with Oklahoma leading 7-5 before the pace started to pick up. Indiana would continue to stay very close for the rest of the first half, with Oklahoma going into the locker room with a 34-30 lead over the Hoosiers. Immediately after halftime, Indiana scored five straight points to take the lead by 1. The teams would continue to trade baskets back and forth until there were about five minutes left in regulation.

Indiana would then claim to a 60-53 lead with nearly five to go and foul out Oklahoma forward Aaron McGhee at 60-55. However, Oklahoma would rally to tie the game at 60 with 3:26 to go in the contest. Then, unsung hero Jeffrey Newton would score what in effect what the game-winning basket, as the Hoosiers would not tie or relinquish the lead to the Sooners. From there, Indiana cruised to a 73-64 win.

The key to the game for Indiana was undoubtedly holding Oklahoma star Hollis Price to 1-of-11 shooting. Also, the Hoosiers played gritty man-to-man defense, not letting any one player take over the game for Oklahoma, like a zone or a press would have. Oklahoma also made the mistake of double-teaming Jared Jeffries on a regular basis, which along with playing zone often contributed to the 8-of-13 three-point shooting of Indiana. Oklahoma also let Indiana's bench go crazy, especially Jeffrey Newton, an Atlanta native who led Indiana in scoring with 19. Once again, Indiana surprised their opponent by outcoaching and outplaying them.

Maryland

Maryland triumphed on Saturday with a win that saw many ups and downs for each team. To start the game out, Kansas got out to a 13-2 lead and forcing center Lonny Baxter on the bench with two fouls in under three minutes. Then, Juan Dixon led a run that got the Terps back in control of game. Maryland would lead the game 44-37 at the half after rebounding from that early 11-point deficit.

In the first eight minutes of the second half, Kansas kept the game right around that seven-point margin that they claimed at halftime. After leading at 60-55 with 12:08 remaining, the Terps went on a six-minute run that would see their lead grow from five to 20 with six minutes to go.

After leading at 83-63, Kansas went on a 19-4 that scared every Maryland fan and reminded them of when they lost a 22-point margin to Duke in this same round a year ago. However, after the Kansas got within five, it was not meant to be. Maryland, a great team from the line, was able to hit their shots from the charity stripe and eventually go on to a 97-88 win.

Maryland totally shut down Drew Gooden on Saturday night and left little doubt who had the best frontcourt in the country. However, for Maryland, their best showing came away from their frontcourt. Juan Dixon, continuing on a dream tournament, scored 33 in the game, leading his team by far. Another key part of the game was point guard Steve Blake's play. Blake created things for teammates and fouled out Kansas' point guard, Kirk Hinrich.

Maryland controlled Kansas on the glass, outrebounding them 39-37 and limiting Kansas' second chance opportunities. The scary thing about this game was that Maryland played great, but East Regional MVP Lonny Baxter had more fouls than points.

Keys to the National Championship

Indiana

- Disrupt Steve Blake

Although he didn't score a lot at all, Blake was the most important player on the floor for Maryland not named Dixon on Saturday night. Kansas' defense allowed Blake to thread the needle on entry passes and dishes for layups, something Indiana cannot have happen to them. Indiana needs to prevent this by pressing one or two people on to Blake and making him play erratic, which he is somewhat known for.

- Be very aware of Lonny Baxter

The Hoosiers need to make it known that five fouls and four points is the biggest aberration Baxter can have in a game. Baxter will have a better output, but Indiana must make sure that Baxter does not take over the game in the low post, as he did against Connecticut.

- Don't overdo the defense

To win, Indiana cannot just concentrate on one player or area, or they will get creamed. They must play good, solid defense, once again as they did against Oklahoma. Man-to-man defense can be used, or the press that was mentioned in key number one. The main point is that Indiana must not let one player dominate as basically all of Maryland's tournament opponents have done.

Maryland

- Neutralize the bench

Oklahoma totally underestimated the bench of Indiana, but that should not happen as Maryland is deeper than Oklahoma and is smarter than that. However, you never know what will happen. Specifically, players like Drew Nicholas, Ryan Randle, and Tahj Holden must play up to the level of Indiana's non-starters.

- Don't underestimate this bunch

In other words, don't do what everyone else did. Even though this is the National Championship Game, there still is a reason to think that Maryland will underestimate Indiana. However, with coach Gary Williams on the bench, this should not happen.

- Don't beat yourselves

It sounds silly that a team like Maryland would do it, but it could happen. For example, Oklahoma had two times as many assists as turnovers, which no doubt contributed to the Sooners' downfall. This key relies square on the shoulders of Blake, who on Saturday had more than twice as many assists as turnovers.

Game Breakdown

Offense ... Maryland Defense ... Draw Guards ... Maryland Forwards ... Indiana Center ... Maryland Bench ... Indiana

Prediction: Maryland 91, Indiana 78

It's been a great season and I hope it comes down to an exciting conclusion on Monday night!

Article courtesy of Sports Central.