COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT : UConn Downs Maryland

Steady and smart, Connecticut did what it usually does. And that was more than enough to move along.

The Huskies relied on their seniors, swarmed around Terrapin All-American center Joe Smith any time he came near the ball and the simple formula produced a 99-89 victory Thursday night in a West Regional semifinal before 14,399 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

“We beat one of the best teams in the country tonight,” Coach Jim Calhoun said. “We wanted to go at the pressure. They pressure about as well as anybody in the country.

“Secondly, we didn’t want them to go over the top and kill us inside. Everybody just contributed wonderfully.”

Thus, the NCAA tournament selection committee has what it hoped when brackets were drawn: Connecticut-UCLA. The second-seeded Huskies (28-4) play the top-seeded Bruins (28-2) on Saturday for the right to advance to the Final Four in Seattle.

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that they defend it pretty good,” Calhoun said of the Bruins. “Mississippi State didn’t play very well (in a 86-67 loss to UCLA in the other semifinal), but that’s because UCLA made them play like that.

“Quite frankly, UCLA toyed with them.”

The Huskies have never appeared in a Final Four. They last played in a regional final in 1990, losing to Duke in overtime, 79-78, in the East.

Third-seeded Maryland (26-8), which shared a piece of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title, was trying to qualify for its third trip to a regional final. The Terrapins are 2-6 in regional semifinal games.

Connecticut senior forward Donny Marshall and senior point guard Kevin Ollie know their roles well, and they proved it Thursday. Marshall paced the Huskies with a season-high 27 points and had nine rebounds.

Marshall seemed inspired by the constant chatter of Maryland forward Exree Hipp.

Ollie, a graduate from Crenshaw High, played his typically tough defense and controlled the offensive tempo. He scored nine points and committed only two turnovers in 34 minutes. With Ollie leading the way, the Huskies committed a season-low nine turnovers.

Smith scored 22 points, on 10-of-17 shooting, and had a game-high 14 rebounds. However, most of his points came after Connecticut had control. Smith made only three-of-eight shots in the first half while struggling to find room against a variety of collapsing defenses.

Connecticut starting center Travis Knight scored 15 points and held his own against Smith, albeit with a lot of assistance. Reserve center Eric Hayward scored 12 points, providing the Huskies with two solid performances against one of the nation’s best players.

“We had a good practice yesterday and the kids executed today,” Calhoun said. “We had good play from Donny and the rest of the team.”

Standout Connecticut swingman Ray Allen also did his part, scoring 18 points and getting a team-high 11 rebounds. Guard Johnny Rhodes was the Terrapins’ most effective player offensively. His jumpers kept Maryland close at times, but Marshall, Allen and Ollie kept the Huskies’ comfort zone intact.

A basket by Ollie with 5:20 left in the game gave the Huskies an 82-70 lead. The Terrapins had cut the Huskies’ eight-point halftime lead to 49-45 on a rebound and basket by Smith early in the second half.

Then Marshall took over.