SPOKANE, WASH. >> A special season has a chance to become legendary today.
All that stands between upstart underdog Hawaii and a trip to Louisville, Ky., for the NCAA Sweet 16 is Maryland of the Big Ten Conference.
That, admittedly, could be a tall order. The Terrapins’ starting front line goes 6-9, 6-9, 6-11.
“Cal’s big, these guys are bigger,” said UH coach Eran Ganot, referring back to UH’s landmark 77-66 win over California in the first round on Friday. “We’ve got a tough task … as everyone this time of year playing does. It’s the cream of the crop.”
Hawaii and Maryland basically split the distance difference between their campuses for the TBS-televised, 1:10 p.m. second-round game at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The winner will face top overall seed Kansas.
NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND
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Today, 1:10 p.m., at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
>> Who: No. 13 Hawaii (28-5) vs. No. 5 Maryland (26-8)
>> TV: TBS
>> Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
>> Series: Maryland leads 2-0
The victory over fourth-seeded Cal was UH’s first in the NCAA Tournament. It also gave the 13th-seeded Rainbow Warriors (28-5) their most wins in a season.
“That win showed we can play with anyone, we can beat anyone,” said backup center Stefan Jovanovic, who supplied some key minutes. “It’s really important for us to see we can play with those big teams.”
While the UH coaching staff immediately delved into late-night scout work after the Cal win, the players were allowed 24 hours to enjoy the victory with their teammates and families.
“Since I was little, I always dreamed of playing in the tournament, at least winning a game or two, so getting that win meant a lot to me,” wing Aaron Valdes said.
By 11 a.m. Saturday, preparation for the fifth-seeded Terrapins (26-8) was on in full.
Right after UH’s defeat of Cal, Maryland held on against 12 seed South Dakota State for a 79-74 win after leading by as many as 18 points. Two fouls on 3-point shooters in the final seconds narrowed the gap. For a talented team like the Terps, it was a cautionary victory.
“Not having that complacency, and striving for excellence every time is going to, in essence, decide how far we go in this tournament,” guard Rasheed Sulaimon said. “I thought we played a great game last game, (but) we had some slip-ups there at the end. Hopefully we improve on those things and go into Hawaii as a better team than we were against South Dakota State.”
A few Terrapins players, including sophomore playmaker Melo Trimble (14.5 ppg), spoke with respect of UH’s active defense and overall drive to win.
“They wanted it more yesterday, more than Cal wanted it,” Trimble said. “You could tell how hard they were playing on defense and the offensive side. They were executing their plays, and they were just having fun out there. And every team that has fun, they play really well.”
The round of 32 is already underway. UH and Maryland are two of just 24 teams left in the tournament after eight were knocked out Saturday — postseason staples like Kentucky, Connecticut, Butler and Wichita State.
Maryland, the 2002 national champion from its ACC days, is ranked No. 18, its 35th consecutive week in the AP Top 25. But it was as high as No. 2 throughout the season — as recently as Feb. 8 — before some losses in Big Ten play dropped the Terps.
“They’re very, very talented,” UH big man Stefan Jankovic said. “Some NBA guys, great height. Shoot the ball really well. But we’re a tough team. We’re talented as well. We’re not worried about the big name.”
Their big game, however, could pose problems. Led by 6-11 freshman center Diamond Stone (12.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg), the Terps are a load in the paint. Forwards Robert Carter Jr. (12.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Jake Layman (11.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) are threats both inside and out. Trimble and Sulaimon (11.0 ppg), a transfer from Duke, round out the potent and balanced first five.
Layman is coming off a career-high-tying 27 points and five 3-pointers in the win over the Jackrabbits, upping his scoring average over the last three contests to 20.7.
UH’s starting front line, by contrast, goes 6-11, 6-7, 6-5.
“We have to contain their inside-outside threats,” Ganot said. “They surround their big guys with some great shooting and a dynamic point guard (Trimble).”
Trimble and Sulaimon average a combined 8.6 assists in starting all 34 games.
UH, as has been the case lately, dealt with some severe foul trouble against Cal. Jankovic (15.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) scored his average in only 18 minutes, while Valdes (14.4 ppg) also played reduced time because of the whistles.
“Wrong time, wrong place,” Jankovic said, adding he thought the officials will allow more physicality this time.
The Rainbows are coming off a season-low eight assists. Its minus-nine rebounding margin was its largest negative disparity in a win.
But the backcourt of Roderick Bobbitt (13.4 ppg, 5.4 apg) and Quincy Smith (8.0 ppg) shouldered the scoring load, combining for 36. Bobbitt played the entire game and Smith saw 34 minutes.
“This is the kind of team that, especially early in the year, gave us fits,” fifth-year Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. “Tough matchup for us, because their guard play, and they’re able to stretch the floor with their big guys.
“I think obvious strengths for us are our inside presence, offensively and defensively,” Turgeon added. “Hopefully, we can protect the rim and, hopefully, we can score around the basket. And then we have good guards, too. So we have a lot of strengths, we’re playing better, we’re playing with more confidence. So, it should be a great game.”
UH’s two past encounters with Maryland, both losses, came in the 1984 and 1996 Rainbow Classics.
