Spokane Regional Semi-Final Preview: Maryland vs. Stanford

By Kecia Bailey: SPM CA Writer
Posted Monday, March 31, 2008

SPOKANE, Wash. – Shoulder chips were in abundance at media day on the day before Maryland and Stanford take the floor for the right to book a flight to Tampa for the Final Four. Both teams feel disrespected and will feel some level of vindication with a win on Monday night. Stanford feels snubbed out of a #1 seed by the selection committee; Maryland continues to hear whispers that they are not deserving of the #1 seed they received, and are the most vulnerable of the teams receiving that ranking.

What will make Monday night’s game so special -- beyond the battle for respect and validation -- will be the battle in the paint. Both Maryland and Stanford boast post tandems that are arguably the best in the country. For Maryland, seniors Laura Harper and Crystal Langhorne and for Stanford, sophomore Jayne Appel and freshman Kayla Pedersen.

#1 Maryland (33-3)

How they got here:
Atlantic Coast Conference – At Large Bid
Defeated #16 Coppin State 80-66 1st Round
Defeated #8 Nebraska 76-64 2nd Round
Defeated #4 Vanderbilt 80-66 Sweet 16

Projected Starters:
Kristi Toliver Jr. Guard
Marah Strickland Fr. Guard
Marissa Coleman Jr. Forward
Laura Harper Sr. Forward
Crystal Langhorne Sr. Center

All Eyes On Candice Wiggins – Like Pittsburgh before them, Maryland’s strategy will focus on attempting to make Candice Wiggins’ night uncomfortable. When asked how they would do that, coach Frese offered, “I think by committee, obviously, being able to run so many different looks at her and players, just because she's extremely talented, again, I think we need to have tremendous team defense tomorrow.”

Freshman Marah Strickland draws the defensive assignment on Wiggins. “They’ve [her coaches] said it’s going to be a team effort. I know that’s it’s going to be a good challenge playing Candice Wiggins, she’s a great athlete. But my team is going to have my back.”

Battle For the Paint – “It's going to be a battle on the boards, absolutely," Frese said. "A hundred percent I would agree with that. And a battle of the bigs. It's going to be exciting to be able to see from both teams. Just special players, amongst both teams. So getting on the glass is going to be key, I know Stanford's focusing on it. So is Maryland, and so it should be a lot of fun to be able to watch them amongst both teams and just the competition that's going to be out there.”

Not One and Done - A year after winning the 2006 National Championship, the Terrapins found themselves making an early exit instead of a title defense, losing in the second round to last year’s tournament upstart Ole Miss 89-78. Kristi Toliver said her team is looking to show that what happened last year “... was a fluke.” They’re looking for an opportunity to get back to Final Four and win another championship. “We’re not a one-hit wonder,” she said.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T - When asked about questions regarding their seeding, Crystal Langhorne said, “Our team always loves being the underdog and I know Stanford wasn’t happy about getting the two seed, but a lot of people still don’t think we deserve it [the one seed] and we want to prove a lot of people wrong.”

Stars Come Out in Spokane? – Stanford’s post-game press conference had a light moment as the team, or specifically Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, talked about the Cardinal’s chance encounter with actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. whom they ran into in the lobby of their hotel. Apparently, not to be outdone, the Maryland team had a brush with Hollywood as well. In an equally light-hearted moment during their Sunday media day, Marah Strickland described the Terrapins’ meeting “Happy Days” star Henry Winkler in the lobby of their hotel and the opportunity for a photo-op with “The Fonz.” Word has it that the Rolling Stones Mick Jagger was also at the team hotel.

#2 Stanford (33-3)

How they got here: Pac-10 Champion Automatic Bid
Defeated #15 Cleveland State 85-47 1st Round
Defeated #7 UTEP 88-54 2nd Round
Defeated #6 Pittsburgh 72-53 Sweet 16

Projected Starters:
JJ Hones So. Guard
Rosalyn Gold-Onwude So. Guard
Candice Wiggins Sr. Guard
Kayla Pedersen Fr. Forward
Jayne Appel So. Center

Charting New Territory, For The First Time Again - When asked why she feels this Stanford team is different than other Stanford teams that had missed getting through to the Final Four, Candice Wiggins answered, pointing to their win on the road at Rutgers and snapping their 11-game Tennessee losing streak. “This is the team that has done things that no other Stanford team has done in a long time.”

Chairwomen of the Boards – Stanford enters the game averaging a 21+ rebounding margin over its first three opponents in the tournament. The Cardinal is 28-2 when they have outrebounded their opponent.

“I think that [rebounding] definitely will be big. It will be a huge part of the game, who controls the boards,” Jayne Appel said.

Kayla Pedersen added, “I think if we all box out and don’t rely on out jumping people I think we’ll win that margin.”

Lost Weekend – When the Cardinal stumbled on a road trip in early January, losing back-to-back games to unranked UCLA and USC, the team has reached for that as motivation to get re-focused and re-dedicated to the goals they want to achieve.

According to Wiggins, “Whenever we’re in a situation in a game, all we had to say 'UCLA, USC.' All we had to say is 'LA' and everyone was like 'Ok, no, we’re not losing this game.' It’s motivation.You have that feeling in the back of your mind to know what that feels like.”

And what a motivation it has been. The Cardinal has not lost a game since. They are currently riding a 21-game winning streak into Monday night’s contest.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T – The Cardinal’s disappointment about their seeding on Selection Monday was evident. Reaching this game has been a motivation. “We can’t say we should be this or that. This is the game that’s going to prove that,” Wiggins said.

The Spokane Regional Final will tip at 6:30pm PDT on ESPN with Dave Pasch and Debbie Antonelli with the call. On radio, Westwood One will air the game and Jim Kozimor and Krista Blunk will handle the broadcast duties.