The Terps lost two of the three earlier meetings, and one became the stuff of legends when the Devils overcame a 10-point deficit with less than a minute remaining to eventually win in overtime. Maryland coach Gary Williams said he figures his team played well for about 100 of those 125 minutes.

Maryland coach Gary Williams is hoping to even the score against Duke.(Allsport)

"You know (Duke) is going to come out firing from the 3-point line," Williams said. "That's not going to change. You have to gear yourself for playing a team that does that. They took 40 (actually 33) 3s the last time we played them in the ACC Tournament."

Duke has jacked up 1,003 3-point shots this season, nearly doubling Maryland's attempts (522). And the Devils are sharper from long range (.390 to .379) than the Terps.

"You don't see that in our league," Williams said. "They shoot the ball farther back behind the line than most teams do, so you have to be prepared for that."

Here's what the Terrapins need to do to win:

• Control Dunleavy and James: Shane Battier, Duke's outstanding senior forward, is going to score. And score. And score. That's fine. When Maryland defeated the Devils on Feb. 27, it held Mike Dunleavy and Nate James to six and four points, respectively. In Duke's two wins, Dunleavy averaged 16.5 points and James 15.
• Stay away from silly fouls: In Duke's two victories, it averaged 15 more free throw attempts than Maryland. In the Terps' victory, they shot eight more freebies than the Dukies.
• Dixon must be hittin': In the two losses to Duke, Juan Dixon went 6 for 14 and 7 for 20 from the field, scoring 17 points in each. In the victory, he was 11 for 20 for 28 points. Dixon needs to get hot to open up the inside game for Lonny Baxter.

The Tournament

Round 1: Terrapins survive scare from George Mason
Round 2: Terps too big for Georgia State
Sweet 16: Baxter leads Terps past Georgetown
West Region final: Terps stun top-seeded Stanford

Fourth time's a charm

It has already been quite a series this season, spiced with Duke's incredible comeback, the Terps wrecking Senior Night in Cameron Indoor Stadium, a last-second decision in the ACC Tournament ... and now a Final Four showdown.

The Blue Devils haven't faced a team four times in the same seasons since 1980, although it was fairly common before that (at least 12 times).

The Blue Devils have never faced an ACC team in the NCAA Tournament. Here's a look at the first three Duke-Maryland meetings this season:

Jan. 27, at Maryland: Devils overcome 10-point deficit in final 54 seconds
Feb. 27, at Duke: Boozer goes down with foot injury as Terps prevail
March 10, Atlanta: James' tip-in lifts Duke in ACC semifinal

• The Edge: See how the Terps and Blue Devils match up

Scouting Report: The Starting Lineup

PG Steve Blake (6-3, 170, So., Miami Lakes, Fla.)
Season averages: 6.5 pts, 3.2 rebs, 7.0 assists
NCAA Tournament averages: 8.5 pts, 1.5 rebs, 6.25 assists

The first Terp to lead the ACC in assists since John Lucas in 1974. Broke Maryland's single-season assist record in the Terps' first-round win over George Mason. He's shooting 54 percent and averaging 3.7 turnovers in the tournament.

• vs. George Mason: Helps rescue Terps with 13 points and six assists
• vs. Georgia State: Typically steady effort; 7 points, 7 assists
• vs. Georgetown: Struggled offensively, going 0 for 4
• vs. Stanford: Makes 3 of 3 from downtown; has 13 points

SG Juan Dixon (6-3, 160, Jr., Baltimore, Md.)
Season averages: 18.4 pts, 4.1 rebs, 2.6 assists
NCAA Tournament averages: 16.5 pts, 4.5 rebs, 3 assists

Became the fifth player in school history to earn first-team all-ACC honors in consecutive seasons and the first since Joe Smith in 1994-95. Averaged 20.3 points in three games against Duke, including 28 in the Terrapins' 91-80 victory on Feb. 27. As Stanford discovered, Dixon is very hard to guard.

• vs. George Mason: Scores 22 points to stave off upset
• vs. Georgia State: Shows versatility with 14 pts, 6 asts, 5 rebs and 4 stls
• vs. Georgetown: Has 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals
• vs. Stanford: Hits clutch shots to keep Cardinal at arm's length

SF Byron Mouton (6-6, 215, Jr., Rayne, La.)
Season averages: 9.8 pts, 4.0 rebs, 1.3 assists
NCAA Tournament averages: 7.7 pts, 3.5 rebs, 0.5 assists

A transfer from Tulane who sat out last season, Mouton has started 27 of 29 games since entering the starting lineup in the Terrapins' 82-51 win over against Michigan on Dec. 2. After a big game against George Mason (22 points), he has cooled off considerably, totaling just nine points in the Terps' last three games, including an 0 for 3 effort against Stanford.

• vs. George Mason: Makes all 9 FTs and scores 22 points
• vs. Georgia State: Foul trouble limits him to 16 minutes
• vs. Georgetown: No foul trouble, but just 4 points and 7 rebounds
• vs. Stanford: Worst game of tourney with no points in 14 minutes

PF Terence Morris (6-9, 205, Sr., Frederick, Md.)
Season averages: 12.8 pts, 7.7 rebs, 2.0 assists
NCAA Tournament averages: 8.2 pts, 7.5 rebs, 1.2 assists

Inconsistency continues to plague Morris, who was named third-team all-ACC this year after getting first-team honors as a sophomore and second-team as a junior. Disappears for long stretches, and is shooting just 33 percent (11 of 33) in the tournament. He averaged 12.6 points and 8 rebounds against Duke this season.

• vs. George Mason: Non-factor with 4 pts and 5 rebs in 28 minutes
• vs. Georgia State: Best game of tourney with 14 pts and 9 rebs
• vs. Georgetown: Talked smack before game, then went 1 of 11
• vs. Stanford: Despite foul trouble, contributed 10 points, 11 rebs

C Lonny Baxter (6-8, 250, Jr., Silver Spring, Md.)
Season averages: 15.5 pts, 7.6 rebs, 0.6 assists
NCAA Tournament averages: 17.8 pts, 10 rebs, 0.7 blocks

Probably the single biggest -- and we do mean biggest -- reason Maryland is in the Final Four. After getting into foul trouble and playing just 20 minutes against George Mason, Baxter has exploded over the last three games, averaging 23 points and 11.3 rebounds. Against Duke this season, he averaged 12.3 points and 9 rebounds.

• vs. George Mason: Couldn't handle George Evans; had just 2 pts
• vs. Georgia State: Dominated Panthers with 19 pts and 14 rebs
• vs. Georgetown: Best game of tourney with 26 pts and 14 rebs
• vs. Stanford: Proved too quick for Jason Collins; scored 24 pts

The Bench

Maryland's bench has been its saving grace as Williams continues to get key contributions from Tahj Holden, Drew Nicholas and Danny Miller.

Holden, a 6-10 sophomore, might have been the difference in the Stanford game, scoring 14 points in 20 minutes. He was 3 of 4 from downtown. After averaging 4.0 points in the regular season, Holden is averaging 12 over the last two games.

Williams has also received quality minutes from 6-10 freshman Chris Wilcox and 7-0 junior Mike Mardesich.

The Coach

After 23 years as a major college head coach, Gary Williams is finally headed to the Final Four.

Williams deserves a lot of credit for taking a program that had bottomed out under Bob Wade and bringing it back -- first to respectability, then to perennial ACC contention ... and now to the Final Four.

Williams has taken three teams to the NCAA Tournament (Ohio State and Boston College were the others) and is 13-10 in 10 appearances. This is the eighth consecutive year he has taken Maryland to the tournament.

The Good News

Maryland can fill it up, ranking third in the nation with its 86.2 scoring average. The Terps have averaged 81.2 points in the tournament, including an 87-point effort against top-seeded Stanford.

With Lonny Baxter dominating the paint, the Terps haven't had to rely on the 3-pointer, attempting just 42 for the tournament. Duke, on the other hand, attempts 30.2 3-pointers per game.

Better yet, this team is playing with the knowledge that it knocked off Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the last home game for Shane Battier and Nate James. That has to be a confidence builder.

The Bad News

Duke can also fill it up, to the tune of 86 points per game in the tournament.

In their two victories over Maryland, the Blue Devils got to the free throw line 69 times, compared to just 43 trips for the Terps.

Other coverage highlights

• March 27 -- Wetzel: Terps' turnaround earns them date with Devils
• March 26: Baxter trying to keep success in perspective
• March 26 -- Wetzel: Final Four teams take different paths
• March 25 -- Miech: Final Four a long time coming for Hahn
• March 25: First three Duke-Maryland matchups were keepers

Noteworthy

BOARD WORK: In their three meetings with Duke this season, Maryland has dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Blue Devils 133-100. The Terps had a 48-27 advantage in their 84-82 loss in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.

BY THE NUMBERS: The Terrapins are the nation's only active team, and just the 38th in Division I history, with four 1,000-point scorers. Morris has 1,713 career points, followed by Dixon (1,500), Baxter (1,301) and Mouton (1,056).

FIRST-HALF TEAM: Maryland only had four halftime deficits in the regular season -- in losses at Virginia and North Carolina, in a home defeat by Florida State and in the win at Duke.

The Terps' only halftime deficit in the tournament was to George Mason (they trailed 36-33).

WELCOME BACK: Since 1994, only Kentucky (six times) has appeared in the Sweet 16 more often than Maryland, which made its fifth such trip this season. Arizona, Duke, Kansas and UCLA advanced to the regional semifinals for the fifth time, too, this season.
-- Rob Miech