In the end, slow and steady ended up winning the race. Maryland defeated Indiana 64-52 to claim the national championship in a game that was surprisingly defensive and lacking in offence.
It wasn’t very pretty from the opening tip as the teams, and their nerves, dashed from one side of the court to the other. It quickly became a gritty defensive battle in which both teams had trouble creating scoring opportunities. Much of the game was plagued by turnovers and poor shot selection. When Indiana pulled ahead by two for the first time all game with a Jeffries lay-up in the second half, it looked as if the Hoosiers’ plan to slow the game down might just work. But Juan Dixon had other ideas, answering with a three that woke up the sluggish Terrapins. Suddenly Maryland’s offence started to gain momentum, and they didn’t look back until they were cutting down the nets.
Although Indiana walked away with the consolation prize, they have every reason to celebrate. A national championship appearance two years after Bobby Knight’s controversial dismissal is more than anyone in Bloomington had thought possible. And how about those Terrapins? They proved they were more than just talk, battling back to the Final Four and being crowned the national champions. A perfect answer to all the speculations about a washed-up coach and his tournament pretenders, with game number 2002 in 2002.
As for myself, I’ve really enjoyed this tournament, despite the fact that I went 0 for 2 in my final four predictions. The Salukis and the Golden Flashes—and you can add the Hoosiers to the list now, too—all proved how great March Madness can be. The only problem? Waiting another year for it all to start again.
