KANSAS CITY, Mo.--The three-year battle for the Cal men's basketball team to get into the NCAA tournament is over.

The fight to stay there is just beginning. It starts at 11:55 a.m. PT today against Maryland.

"We can't be complacent about being here," Bears point guard Jerome Randle said. "It's great being here on this stage, but we don't want to just lose a game and go home."

Randle's backcourt mate Patrick Christopher was even more blunt.

"We don't come here to lose," he said.

Fighting that outcome will hinge in part on what team the Terrapins bring to the Sprint Center this afternoon. All season, Maryland (20-13, 7-9 in the ACC) has been high and low and everywhere in between, sporting stellar wins matched by equally puzzling losses.

The Terrapins have beaten Michigan State, North Carolina and Wake Forest.

They've also lost to Morgan State and Virginia.

And consider that Maryland won every game in December on its way to a seven-game winning streak and 11-2 record on Jan. 3. A month later, after losing six of its next nine games, coach Gary Williams' team stood at 14-8 and squarely on the tournament bubble.

Then, they closed the year by losing three of their final four games-only to win two out of three in the ACC tournament to keep them alive in the field of 64.

Which team will Cal see today? No one knows that answer. But at the very least, Maryland is hungry.

"I just want to make a run," Terps guard Greivis Vasquez said. "I want to go to a Sweet 16 or something so I can never forget about this year."

Perhaps no Maryland player is more integral to making that happen than Vasquez. The 6-foot-6 native of Venezuela has a hand in everything, leading his team in scoring (17.2 points per game), rebounding (5.5), assists (5.1) and steals (1.4).

But like his team, Vasquez can be wildly inconsistent. He's capable of scoring 30 or more a game, like he did against Miami and North Carolina. Or he can score in single figures, like the two-, four- and six-point outputs he posted in losses to Georgetown, Florida State and Duke.

With his explosive scoring and high volatility, many liken him to Randle. Indeed, plenty want to see the game become a battle between Vasquez and Randle.

Cal coach Mike Montgomery is not among them.

"I think it would be dangerous if we got in a situation like that," Montgomery said. "Jerome has to do what he can do. Certainly, late in the games, Jerome has won a lot of games for us. But I wouldn't want it to come to that. We've got other people that need to be involved and Jerome has to keep them involved."

The duel between those two scorers underscores the similarities between two perimeter-oriented, size-deficient teams.

No Maryland starter is taller than 6-foot-7, with the biggest frontliners being forwards Landon Milbourne-the Terrapins second-leading scorer-and Dave Neal.

Aside from size, both teams lack experience. Neal is Maryland's only senior, and the Bears have none. In terms of tournament experience, both teams played in the NIT last year. Meanwhile, Cal's only tangible NCAA tournament experience comes in the form of forward Theo Robertson, who played alongside Leon Powe in the Bears' 2006 tournament trip.

With all the inexperience and speed, and with Cal shooters like Randle, Robertson and Christopher running alongside Vasquez, Milbourne and third-leading scorer Adrian Bowie, one might expect a high-octane showdown to rule today.

But Montgomery isn't buying that, either.

"I don't think you're going see that because typically in the NCAA things slow down a bit, possessions become more valued," he said. "You become a little more conservative what you try to do as time goes on.

"But I know I'd like to get some numbers off the break and I'm sure (Williams) feels the same way."

Tags: CAL MEN'S BASKETBALL, 2009 NCAA TOURNAMENT, MIKE MONTGOMERY