• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Davidson takes on fast-finishing Maryland in opener

Mar 15, 2007 - 1:46 PM Davidson (29-4) at No. 22 Maryland (24-8) 12:20 pm EDT

BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- Maryland used a strong finish to go from a bubble team to a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The fourth-seeded Terrapins will make their 22nd NCAA appearance when they face Southern Conference champion Davidson on Thursday in a Midwest Region first-round game.

"I think we earned it by our play," Maryland coach Gary Williams said of the seeding. "We won seven of our last eight and our league (Atlantic Coast Conference) was rated the best (in the country) all year. I think our 10-6 record in league play is probably the biggest reason we got the fourth seed."

Senior guard D.J. Strawberry averages 15.2 points to pace the Terrapins, who will be making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004.

Making its ninth tournament appearance following a school-record 29 wins, 13th-seeded Davidson has won 13 straight games and 25 of its last 26.

Wildcats junior point guard Jason Richards ranks second nationally in assists per game (7.3) and total assists (242). A member of the all-conference and all-tournament teams, Richards averaged 13.6 points while shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range and better than 80 percent from the charity stripe.

Freshman Stephen Curry, the son of former NBA player Dell Curry, leads the team in scoring at 21.2 points per game.

The Terrapins lead the all-time series, 7-3. The teams last met in the 2005 NIT second round, with Maryland rallying from a double-digit deficit to defeat Davidson, 78-63.

The Wildcats are 5-9 all-time in the NCAAs, including a 70-62 setback to second-seeded Ohio State last season in Dayton, Ohio.

The last time the Final Four was held in Atlanta, Maryland won the national championship by beating Indiana, 65-52, in the 2002 title game.

The winner will face either fifth-seeded Butler or 12th-seeded Old Dominion in Saturday's second round.