East Second Round Recap
by Adam Shandler
(1) Maryland 87, (8) Wisconsin 57
Juan More Time For Good Measure: Where were the Maryland Terrapins for the first 15 minutes of this second round game? The Terps couldn’t find the bottom of the bucket on 28 of their first 40 attempts and guard Juan Dixon only had two points. Okay, enough drama. Maryland mopped the floor with the Badgers (as you can tell from the score.) Juan Dixon finished with 29 points and broke two separate records, both previously owned by the late Len Bias. First Dixon shattered Bias’s team scoring record, then his record for most points overall in an NCAA Tournament career. Dixon also scored 29 against Siena in the opening round on Friday night.
The Terps head to the Sweet 16 and will take on Kentucky. The Wildcats are coming off a struggle with Tulsa.
(4) Kentucky 87, (12) Tulsa 82
Who Needs a King…When You Have a Prince? Tayshaun Prince scored 41 of Kentucky’s 87 points and Tubby Smith’s club advanced to the Sweet 16 on Saturday. Prince went 14-for-21 from the field, including a trigger-happy 6-for-8 from three point range. Antonio Reed and Kevin Johnson each had 18 for the Golden Hurricane, who got as close as three at the four-minute mark.
Kentucky vs. Maryland in the Sweet 16
Even with a slow start, Maryland finds a way to win big. Kentucky is going to need another huge shooting night from both Prince, who seems to have broken out of his slump, and Keith Bogans, who has all of a sudden become a marksman from long range. The Terps didn’t have to work for shots against Siena or Wisconsin, and while the Cats pose the greatest challenge for Gary Williams’s club thus far, they are just way too stacked to lose to a Kentucky team that has had its defensive lapses. Maryland is my pick.
