Terps talk brackets before the Madness
Fans aren’t the only ones susceptible to bracket fever. Every March, players contract it, too.
When asked what he was doing last year as a high school senior, Jordan Williams said, “Probably filling out a bracket.”
Twelve months later, the Maryland freshman plays a major role for a team in the Midwest Region. No. 4 Maryland (23-8) faces No. 13 Houston (19-15) on Friday night.
“It’s crazy. All my friends calling me, telling me they couldn’t believe my team is a four seed and picking us to go,” Williams said. “Growing up I was always the one putting the best teams all the way.”
When Williams’ favoritism of top seeds was relayed to Maryland coach Gary Williams, he reacted with mock disgust.
“Really, well, maybe Jordan will mature a little bit as he goes through college,” Gary Williams said.
Portraying his team as an underdog is the go-to move of the Maryland coach. Convincing his team of that, however, won’t be easy against a Houston squad with an inferior record and inferior pedigree in an inferior league (ACC vs. Conference USA). Houston’s last NCAA appearance came in 1992. Since then, Gary Williams has taken Maryland to the tournament 14 times, including seven trips to the Sweet 16 and two to the Final Four and one national championship (2002).
“If you coach in a major conference, you better get here once in a while,” the coach deadpanned.
Before heading for distant Spokane, Wash., on Tuesday evening, the Terps seemed as swept up in March Madness as the rest of the nation.
“I used to be a pretty big fan of the Cinderella teams, Valparaiso and West Virginia,” senior guard Eric Hayes said. “And being a Maryland fan, watching them in their Final Four year and their championship year and when Drew Nicholas hit the shot [2003]. There’s always some upsets, some buzzer-beaters. It’s a real exciting time.”
Getting the Terps excited will not be a concern for Gary Williams and his point guard, Greivis Vasquez, who mirrors Williams’ Type-A personality.
“There’s a tendency to get too jacked up, do things you don’t usually do,” Gary Williams said. “There’s very few teams that don’t play hard in the NCAA Tournament.”
With 17 trips in his career, few coaches have as keen an appreciation of the tournament as Williams. On Tuesday, without prompting, he departed from his hard-core analysis of Friday’s opener and rhapsodized about the allure of March.
“You can jump into college basketball this time of year without really following it that close during the season and still be a part of March Madness,” Williams said. “It’s a three-week deal, and the excitement builds, and it goes quick. It’s everything that Americans like. It’s a quick hit. You move on. In [four] days, you go from 64 teams to 16. That’s what everybody likes.”
