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By TIM KORTE AP Sports Writer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Forget what conventional wisdom suggests about Utah's chances for an upset win over Maryland and a trip to the Final Four.
To coach Elaine Elliott, this season's journey has been its own reward. The Utes (27-6) are in the NCAA regional finals for the first time in school history because they play together and pull for each other, not because they have something to prove.
"There's no chip on our shoulder. We really love to play," Elliott said Sunday. "We try to keep thinking in these terms: Play for each other. Play because you love it. When you play, show the enthusiasm you have for the game."
Sure, the Mountain West Conference champions, seeded No. 5, will be the underdog Monday against No. 2 Maryland (31-4). The Terps have more size, they've got a star player in 6-foot-2 Crystal Langhorne and they compete in the talent-rich Atlantic Coast Conference.
No big deal, the Utes insist.
"It doesn't put too much pressure on us," guard Shona Thorburn said. "We don't have to win. We've already exceeded everyone's expectations. It doesn't change how we go out. We'll just go out and play 40 minutes. That's all you can really ask of each other."
Utah will be challenged to keep up with Langhorne, who outplayed Baylor standout Sophia Young as the Terps eliminated the defending NCAA champs Saturday night.
Langhorne, a sophomore, matched a career high with 34 points and added 15 rebounds. It was her fourth 30-point game this season and the school-record fifth of her career.
But beating the Terps isn't as simple as stopping Langhorne. All five of Maryland's starters score in double figures, and it's tough to defend such a balanced attack.
"We don't have one or two players who can score. We have five," Langhorne said. "It just happened in the last games that people were playing me 1-on-1 a lot. My teammates were so unselfish. They were passing me the ball."
Utah doesn't have an inside presence, not with a three-guard lineup that relies on 3-point shooting and fluid, decision-making team defense. Elliott won't deny her team's matchup problems but hopes the Utes will present Maryland with some issues, too.
"We have shooters who make it difficult to just go zone," Elliott said. "We don't have the post game but we've gone a long way without one. It's worked out OK. We've proved there's other ways to be successful."
That's for sure. Something about the Utes just says, "Relax, eh?"
Utah has six Canadians on the roster, including Thorburn, whose 7.3 assists average ranks second nationally.
"She's a triple-double waiting to happen," Elliott said.
Then there's co-Mountain West player of the year Kim Smith, who led the league with a 19.7 scoring average and ranked second in rebounding (8.0). But Smith struggled to a 3-of-13 shooting night in Utah's third-round win over Boston College.
It was one of her worst efforts of the season, but Smith shrugged it off.
"I guess I could look at it as a fluke, but I'm a shooter," she said. "I'm not going to stop shooting. I'm just going to keep on shooting the ball and eventually it will drop."
To hear Elliott, Smith epitomizes the Utes. A 12-month gym rat over the past six years because she devotes herself to the Canadian national team during the summers, Smith is focused and intense when it comes to her game.
"She's a perfectionist to a fault," Elliott said. "She'll just keep shooting to prepare. She'll do the same thing she always does. She'll try to get into a rhythm, and I'll just try to get her to smile."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-03-27-06 0220MST
