DENVER – Hakim Warrick still remembers the shock.

He was so certain that the game was over. It was late in the second half. Maryland trailed by 10 or 11, he doesn’t even remember exactly. Some big deficit, though. And then, when he checked back later that evening, Maryland had stormed back and beaten Duke in overtime.

‘When I heard what happened, I was really surprised,’ said Warrick. ‘I was watching most of the game, and I thought Duke had it, so I turned it off. But Maryland showed they’re a good team that day.’

That day, the Maryland men’s basketball team completed a three-game run through the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, catapulting it from the tournament’s bubble to a No. 4 seed. Now, Maryland – one of the hottest teams in the nation – faces Syracuse – formerly the hottest team in the nation – tomorrow in the Pepsi Center at 5:45 p.m. in the second round in a matchup of the two most recent national champions.

‘Momentum is definitely important, especially come tournament time,’ Warrick said. ‘You definitely want to get hot for the tournament, play your best now. So they’re a dangerous team.’

Just a week ago, Syracuse was, too. The Orangemen had upset two Top 10 teams – Pittsburgh and Connecticut – and buzz spread about SU being a sleeper in the NCAA Tournament.

But then, Syracuse lost to Boston College, 57-54, in the Big East tournament’s quarterfinal round. SU fell from potentially a four-seed in the East to a five-seed out West. Still, Syracuse maintains it carries the momentum from the end of the season.

‘They’re on a run right now at the right time,’ Warrick said, ‘and I feel we’re kicking at the right time, too, so it should be a good game. Two teams playing at a high level of basketball.’

Maryland, too, is on a roll, having defeated three Top 25 teams – Wake Forest, North Carolina State and Duke – en route to securing an automatic bid.

Maryland should provide a familiar look to SU. Like Syracuse one year ago, the Terrapins used a collection of come-from-behind victories, building a 19-11 regular-season record. Just yesterday, Syracuse did the same thing, winning over Brigham Young, 80-75, despite trailing by as much as 13 in the first half.

Maryland coach Gary Williams admitted, even insisted, that the Terps play better when trailing, as evidence in the ACC final against Duke, which Maryland won, 95-87.

‘As a player, you have to take pride from being from behind, and our guys have a good attitude about that,’ Williams said. ‘It’s usually easier for veteran players to make good decisions throughout the game, but our guys are learning. We’re not a veteran-savvy team like we have been the past three years.’

Kind of like Syracuse. The Terrapins boast one senior – center Jamar Smith – and start four sophomores – Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison, Chris McCray and John Gilchrist. Their top two reserves, D.J. Strawberry and Ekene Ibekwe, are freshmen.

In fact, the only Maryland player on both the national championship team of 2002 and this year’s ACC championship team is junior Mike Grinnon, a family friend of Craig Forth’s.

‘We played against each other in high school,’ Forth said. ‘We’ll shake hands at half court, but after that it’s all business.’

If Syracuse’s first-round scare didn’t wake up the Orangemen, the numerous similarities between the two teams certainly should. If you forgot, they are the two teams to have won the last two national championships.

‘That’s about all I know about them,’ junior Josh Pace said. ‘I know they have momentum, because you get momentum off a big win like that Duke win. But the thing is it comes down to whoever is playing better on that day. So hopefully we can come out and get a win.’

Published on September 8, 2004 at 12:00 pm