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Best Maryland basketball players: Terrapins all-time starting lineup

By Cody Williams

31 Mar 2001: Juan Dixon #3 of Maryland shakes hands with Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski after Duke's 95-84 win during the semifinal of the Men's NCAA Basketball Final Four tournament at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Duke defeated Maryland 95-84 advancing to the NCAA Championship game. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr/ALLSPORT
31 Mar 2001: Juan Dixon #3 of Maryland shakes hands with Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski after Duke's 95-84 win during the semifinal of the Men's NCAA Basketball Final Four tournament at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Duke defeated Maryland 95-84 advancing to the NCAA Championship game. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr/ALLSPORT /
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Maryland basketball all-time starting lineup
Maryland basketball (Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr/ALLSPORT) /

As if it could be anyone other than Juan Dixon starting at point guard in this all-time lineup. No matter how you slice it amidst all of the greats that the Terrapins have seen over the year, the 6-foot-3 guard from Baltimore is the greatest player in the history of Maryland basketball. And there’s more than enough evidence to back up that claim.

Once Dixon was given the keys to the team as a sophomore, he absolutely took over as an elite scorer and perimeter defender, as well as being a great rebounder for a guard — even if he wasn’t the greatest facilitator to ever run the Terrapins offense. Over his final three seasons, Dixon averaged 18.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from 3-point range.

But as terrific as Dixon’s career was, his crowning achievement wasn’t in the box score but rather in the annuls of college basketball history. The point guard was the catalyst and leader of the team that captured Maryland basketball’s lone national title in program history, winning NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors as he led the Terrapins to cut down the nets.

Leading Maryland to the title is enough but Dixon is also the career scoring leader in the history of the program, the career leader in 3-pointers made and is second in steals behind ACC record-holder Johnny Rhodes. There’s no other player who could lead the way for this all-time starting lineup than Dixon.

Next. 30 greatest college basketball players this century. dark

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