No team in the ACC has the balance of Stanford. Like Duke, the Cardinal has great outside shooters, with guards Casey Jacobsen, Michael McDonald and forward Ryan Mendez, but it also has the inside strength of North Carolina, with twin brothers Jarron Collins at forward and Jason at center. Collapse inside, and both Collinses are excellent passers who can dish it back outside off double teams. Give them too much room in the paint, and Stanford can go inside with power. Stanford has taken 880 free throws this season, compared with 540 for the opposition.
Motivation is a key.
Stanford is the better coached and more disciplined team. If this game is going to be decided in the last minute, Stanford should win. The Cardinal have only 423 turnovers this season, while Maryland has 485. Maryland hasn't really played well in this tournament. The Terps should be commended for making it to the Elite Eight, but they haven't been close to the form they showed heading down the stretch of the ACC regular season.