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Center: Lonny Baxter vs. Jarrad Odle
Lonny Baxter, Maryland: Baxter is the reigning East Regional Most Valuable Player, and he has some atoning to do after watching most of Saturday night's victory over Kansas from the bench in foul trouble and scoring a season-low four points. He still managed to grab seven rebounds in only 14 minutes. The bet here is that the senior from Silver Spring will bounce back with a vintage effort.
Jarrad Odle, Indiana: Like Baxter, Odle is 6 feet 8, but the senior also gives up nearly 40 pounds to Baxter. Odle is not the classic pivot man, does not rebound with Baxter's consistency and lacks Baxter's quick feet in the post. Odle, averaging 8.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in the tournament, shares his position with backup Jeff Newton, who is the more agile and dangerous of the two.
Edge: Maryland.
Power forward: Chris Wilcox vs. Jared Jeffries
Chris Wilcox, Maryland: He did it again. In a huge game against Kansas with the season on the line, while facing All-American Drew Gooden no less, Wilcox put some recent inconsistent performances behind him with his best performance of the tournament. Wilcox's pure athleticism as a finisher, rebounder and shot-blocker are a headache against most teams, and the Hoosiers are no different.
Jared Jeffries, Indiana: The heart and soul of the Hoosiers was the Big Ten Conference's Player of the Year. Jeffries has scored in double figures 30 times and has led the team in scoring and rebounding all season. He is equally comfortable taking the ball to the basket and shooting from medium range. Look for the Terps to go right at him and try to send him to the bench with foul trouble.
Edge: Indiana.
Small forward: Byron Mouton vs. Kyle Hornsby
Byron Mouton, Maryland: The senior from Rayne, La., has not been scoring with the consistency he showed during the regular season, but he has helped Maryland in other ways during the tournament. Through five NCAA games, he is tied for second on the team with 5.2 rebounds a game and leads the Terps with 13 offensive rebounds. He also has scored in double figures in two of the past three games.
Kyle Hornsby, Indiana: Mouton needs to bring good defense to the floor tonight, especially on the wing, where Hornsby is a dangerous three-point shooter. He leads the Hoosiers with nine three-pointers in the tournament and is shooting 47.4 percent from beyond the arc. He also has a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the NCAAs, and can put the ball on the floor and penetrate.
Edge: Maryland.
Shooting guard: Juan Dixon vs. Dane Fife
Juan Dixon, Maryland: Dixon appears ready to sink his teeth into a Final Four MVP award, and one more night at his current pace most likely will seal that award as well as a national title. Dixon is averaging 27.4 points in the NCAAs on 53 percent shooting, including a blistering 51.3 percent from three-point range. He is shooting 86.2 percent at the free-throw line, is playing his usual great defense and is averaging 36.2 minutes in the postseason.
Dane Fife, Indiana: His main asset is his versatility. The Hoosiers are comfortable going to him at the point guard, and if Tom Coverdale's ankle injury begins to bother him, Indiana will give Fife the ball. On the season, he has shot 46.1 percent overall and 47.7 percent from three-point range, but has only taken enough shots to average 8.6 points. He probably has never faced an opponent as hot as Dixon.
Edge: Maryland.
Point guard: Steve Blake vs. Tom Coverdale
Steve Blake, Maryland: What has gotten into the junior who played so well in the regular season and Atlantic Coast Conference tournament? Blake is shooting poorly, and his sinking confidence was evident when he missed four second-half free throws against Kansas. To his credit, he has remained steady for the most part while running the Maryland offense. He had nine assists in the second half Saturday night.
Tom Coverdale, Indiana: Coverdale is not as steady with the ball as Blake, but he looks to score more in the Hoosiers' offense and is not shy about taking shots. He leads the team with 182 three-point attempts and is shooting 47.1 percent from beyond the arc in the NCAAs. His sprained ankle is still a concern.
Lonny Baxter, Maryland: Baxter is the reigning East Regional Most Valuable Player, and he has some atoning to do after watching most of Saturday night's victory over Kansas from the bench in foul trouble and scoring a season-low four points. He still managed to grab seven rebounds in only 14 minutes. The bet here is that the senior from Silver Spring will bounce back with a vintage effort.
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Terps' last game: beat Indiana 64-52 in NCAA final
Final record: No. 1 Maryland (32-4)
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Jarrad Odle, Indiana: Like Baxter, Odle is 6 feet 8, but the senior also gives up nearly 40 pounds to Baxter. Odle is not the classic pivot man, does not rebound with Baxter's consistency and lacks Baxter's quick feet in the post. Odle, averaging 8.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in the tournament, shares his position with backup Jeff Newton, who is the more agile and dangerous of the two.
Edge: Maryland.
Power forward: Chris Wilcox vs. Jared Jeffries
Chris Wilcox, Maryland: He did it again. In a huge game against Kansas with the season on the line, while facing All-American Drew Gooden no less, Wilcox put some recent inconsistent performances behind him with his best performance of the tournament. Wilcox's pure athleticism as a finisher, rebounder and shot-blocker are a headache against most teams, and the Hoosiers are no different.
Jared Jeffries, Indiana: The heart and soul of the Hoosiers was the Big Ten Conference's Player of the Year. Jeffries has scored in double figures 30 times and has led the team in scoring and rebounding all season. He is equally comfortable taking the ball to the basket and shooting from medium range. Look for the Terps to go right at him and try to send him to the bench with foul trouble.
Edge: Indiana.
Small forward: Byron Mouton vs. Kyle Hornsby
Byron Mouton, Maryland: The senior from Rayne, La., has not been scoring with the consistency he showed during the regular season, but he has helped Maryland in other ways during the tournament. Through five NCAA games, he is tied for second on the team with 5.2 rebounds a game and leads the Terps with 13 offensive rebounds. He also has scored in double figures in two of the past three games.
Kyle Hornsby, Indiana: Mouton needs to bring good defense to the floor tonight, especially on the wing, where Hornsby is a dangerous three-point shooter. He leads the Hoosiers with nine three-pointers in the tournament and is shooting 47.4 percent from beyond the arc. He also has a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the NCAAs, and can put the ball on the floor and penetrate.
Edge: Maryland.
Shooting guard: Juan Dixon vs. Dane Fife
Juan Dixon, Maryland: Dixon appears ready to sink his teeth into a Final Four MVP award, and one more night at his current pace most likely will seal that award as well as a national title. Dixon is averaging 27.4 points in the NCAAs on 53 percent shooting, including a blistering 51.3 percent from three-point range. He is shooting 86.2 percent at the free-throw line, is playing his usual great defense and is averaging 36.2 minutes in the postseason.
Dane Fife, Indiana: His main asset is his versatility. The Hoosiers are comfortable going to him at the point guard, and if Tom Coverdale's ankle injury begins to bother him, Indiana will give Fife the ball. On the season, he has shot 46.1 percent overall and 47.7 percent from three-point range, but has only taken enough shots to average 8.6 points. He probably has never faced an opponent as hot as Dixon.
Edge: Maryland.
Point guard: Steve Blake vs. Tom Coverdale
Steve Blake, Maryland: What has gotten into the junior who played so well in the regular season and Atlantic Coast Conference tournament? Blake is shooting poorly, and his sinking confidence was evident when he missed four second-half free throws against Kansas. To his credit, he has remained steady for the most part while running the Maryland offense. He had nine assists in the second half Saturday night.
Tom Coverdale, Indiana: Coverdale is not as steady with the ball as Blake, but he looks to score more in the Hoosiers' offense and is not shy about taking shots. He leads the team with 182 three-point attempts and is shooting 47.1 percent from beyond the arc in the NCAAs. His sprained ankle is still a concern.
