Biggest Fear: Power Of Press And Maryland Owns One Of The Best, Giving Bulldogs Plenty To Prepare For

First things first.

Maybe they’re being simplistic, but the Gonzaga basketball staff, in preparing for tonight’s NCAA Tournament opener against Maryland, sees a crucial element lying in the simple process of getting the ball past halfcourt.

Going 47 feet in 10 seconds - every possession.

“These guys can knock you out early with steals, but they also can grind you down,” GU coach Dan Fitzgerald said of Maryland, the Bulldogs’ opponent in a game expected to start somewhere between 7:30 and 8 p.m. PST.

“And if we have to make it a crusade every time just to get it to halfcourt against their press, we’re crushed,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s not an area we’re very good at. We know they’re going to beat us on the boards, so if they get the rebounds and take it away from us too, we’ve got trouble.”

Actually, as the No. 14 seed going against the No. 3 seeded Terrapins (24-7), the Bulldogs are expected to have trouble, and will be viewed as heavy underdogs.

Led by All-American center Joe Smith, Maryland applies full-court pressure, leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in steals and out-rebounded league foes by an average of eight boards a game.

“I’d prefer dealing with the original Joseph Smith who came to Salt Lake than this Joe Smith,” Fitzgerald joked.

“They’re the best team we’ve played since I’ve been here,” said Fitzgerald, in his 13th year at GU. “We played DePaul when they were No. 1 and we played Iowa when they were 6 or 7. Those teams weren’t this good because they weren’t this tenacious.”

Maryland, with all five starters underclassmen, “should win it all next year,” Fitzgerald said. “They might be a year away from winning it this time around.”

Several keys exist, said Fitzgerald, whose team has worked on several new approaches to breaking the fullcourt press this week.

“You have to try to shorten the game,” he said, referring to taking as much time as possible off the shot clock.

On defense, “We’re going to have to zone a lot (to help defend Smith), but the scary thing about that is that it really exposes the glass,” Fitzgerald said. “And the problem there is that they are shooting 50 percent and rebounding the hell out of it, so a lot of what their offense is is shoot-missrebound-dunk - 50 percent.”

Point guard Kyle Dixon will be the most crucial ball-handler against the Terrapin press.

“They say it’s the best press in the country, so what we have to do is try to stay calm and then punish them with easy baskets when we break it,” Dixon said.

Attempting to simulate the Maryland pressure, Fitzgerald had the GU starters working against six defenders in practice.

“That wasn’t nearly enough,” assistant coach Mark Few said. “It’s like they cheat and have eight or nine guys out there.”

“Yeah, and what kind of scheme do you use to break a 1-7-1 press?” asked associate head coach Dan Monson.

What was particularly alarming to Fitzgerald was seeing Maryland force North Carolina into five 5-second violations when the Tar Heels were trying to inbound the ball.

“That will get your attention,” Fitzgerald said. “It drains you physically; it’s 94 feet out there and they’re not giving you the first 47. If I see a weakness, it’s that they may not be that great a halfcourt defensive team - I just hope we have the chance to find out.”

Fitzgerald said he would have much rather been paired against any of the other No. 3 seeds in the tournament - Michigan State, Purdue and Villanova.

Still, the team “has been surprisingly loose,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m rolling in bed all night and these guys are having a pretty good time with it.”

Center Paul Rogers may have even predestined the Bulldogs to meet Maryland. After GU’s WCC title win over Portland, Rogers ran off the court shouting “Bring on Joe Smith.”

“I was just joking about playing against the best big man in the country,” Rogers said. “I guess you need to be careful what you wish for. But I’m looking forward to it - it will be something to remember.”

Confidence, warranted or not, is rife among the Bulldogs.

“Our offense is hard to guard, and athletic teams tend not to guard it as well as real smart teams,” GU forward Jason Rubright said. “Maryland is both athletic and smart, but we’ve got an attitude that we’re not just happy to be here, we’re going to play to win.

“We’re going to play our butts off and, you never know, some teams might just overlook a Gonzaga.”