Terps are number one

In the World Series the underdog Diamondbacks beat the Yankees. In the Superbowl the heavily favored Rams lost to the upstart Patriots. Monday night, the heavily favored Maryland Terps put an end to that trend by beating the Indiana Hoosiers 64-52. With this win came Maryland's first men's basketball National Championship and a conclusion to the best season in Terrapin history.

The Terps got off to a fast start, showing its dominance on the boards and in the paint early. The four horsemen pounded the ball inside consistently but with Indiana's superb three point shooters Maryland was unable to put them away. Indiana was within six at half time and with an excellent drive by Hoosier guard Tom Coverdale in the closing seconds they went into the locker room with the momentum.

In the second half the Hoosiers played catch up. They eventually took the lead 44-42 on a lay up by Jared Jeffries with 9 minutes and 53 seconds left in the game. Indiana's lead lasted for 13 seconds and Juan Dixon countered with a clutch three to put Maryland up one. From there Maryland took off, never looking back on their way to the national championship.

During some points in the game it appeared Maryland might let there title slip through their fingers, but senior leadership pulled them through, as it has done all year. Byron Mouton made two huge hustle plays in the second half that secured Maryland's victory. Lonny Baxter showed up big time pulling down 14 rebounds, and Dixon as always pulled through in the clutch.

This Maryland Terrapin team will go down as one of the greatest in the history of Terp basketball. They are the first to win the title at Maryland and the unlikeliest bunch to do so. Baxter and Dixon were both doubted coming out of high school but proved to themselves and the nation that inside they were champions. This game may not go down in the history of NCAA Basketball as the prettiest of Championship games but nevertheless it was a hard fought battle in which the University of Maryland Terrapins took home the hardware.