Deacs look for Terps’ softer side

ATLANTA— Plenty of teams in the ACC saw the worst Maryland had to offer this year.

Much to WakeForest head coach Dave Odom’s chagrin, his team saw only the best.

He’s hoping his Demon Deacons will get at least a peek at what they’ve missed when the two squads square off tonight in the final quarterfinal game of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

A Maryland team that was dead in the water traveled to Wake Forest on Feb. 17 and played an astonishing second half of basketball. The Terps, losers of five of their last six games since the infamous Duke debacle, cruised to a 73-57 win at Wake and started a five-game winning streak.

That makes Gary Williams’ team, ranked 11th in the nation, the hottest in the tournament.

“Every team most likely will have some dip in the way they’re playing,”Odom said. “Fortunate for Maryland, there’s came in the last half of the season, but not at the very end. I know that Gary’s going to be calling me sometime this week, thanking me for helping get his team out of that brief dip.

“They played so well that day,”Odom added. “It was a thing to behold. If they hadn’t been playing against my team I would have really liked it.”

Maryland, the No. 3 seed in the tournament at 20-9 overall, 10-6 ACC, looks like an entirely different team since emerging from the midseason funk. Led by the fourth-highest scorer in the league in Juan Dixon (19.1 points per game) and two of the best post players in the league in Lonny Baxter (14.1, 8.1 rebounds) and Terence Morris (14.0, 9.5), handling Maryland is a tough chore.

“We seem very fresh for this time of year,”Williams said. “We have our legs and are shooting the ball well. But at this time of year you always look at your defense. We’ve played good enough defense to keep us in games during the periods when you don’t shoot the ball. That’s been the biggest thing the last couple weeks.”

Odom’s biggest concern is that Maryland’s fresh legs track down a league-best 41.5 rebounds per game, including 15 offensively. The Terps have outrebounded opponents by nearly five per game, while the Deacs are at the break-even point.

“We’ll have to have five guys attacking the defensive glass,”Odom said. “Allowing only one shot is absolutely a must for us.”

Also key for No. 22 Wake (19-9, 8-8) is for star forward Darius Songaila to avoid foul trouble against Maryland’s bruisers. He averages 13.6 points per game but often sits for long stretches with early fouls.

Senior guard Robert O’Kelley has played well as of late, but will have his hands full containing Dixon. Wake’s leading scorer, Josh Howard (14.9), also will have to concentrate on the defensive end against Baxter. The point guard matchup pitting Maryland’s Steve Blake (6.3 assists per game) and Wake’s Ervin Murray (2.9) won’t be easy for Odom’s squad, either.

“We’re going to test ourselves against the hottest team in the country with Final Four potential,”Odom said.