Two Teams. Two Conferences. One Tournament. One Game.

In its first two NCAA Tournament games since 1997, Georgetown, the tenth seed in the West Region, conquered the “40 Minutes of Hell” defense of Arkansas and shattered the glass slipper of Hampton, who earned the early-round title of Cinderella by virtue of its first-round upset victory over Iowa State.

But this Thursday in the Sweet 16, Georgetown faces its toughest tournament opponent since squaring off against Massachusetts in the 1996 Elite Eight – third-seeded Maryland.

The last time these two teams met, on Nov. 26, 1993, the Terrapins handed former Georgetown head coach John Thompson his first home-opening loss in 23 seasons, an 84-83 overtime defeat at the Capital Center in Landover, Md.

The Terps turned a 14-point deficit with under 13 minutes to play into a four-point lead late in the game. Georgetown sent it to overtime on a three-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining in regulation, but Maryland’s Joey Brown hit a runner at the close of the extra frame to upset the then 15th-ranked Hoyas.

That meeting marked the collegiate debut of Golden State Warrior Joe Smith, who scored 26 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had three steals.

Although the Terps do not have another Joe Smith to throw at the Hoyas this week, they do have a core of players that together may be more skilled than the Smith-led Maryland squads of the mid 1990s that failed to make the Final Four.

The Terrapins enter the game on fire, having won eight of their last nine contests. They will attack Georgetown with a quick, sharp-shooting two-guard in junior Juan Dixon, a power center in junior Lonny Baxter, an assist-crazy point guard in sophomore Steve Blake, a jump shooting forward in Byron Mouton and an NBA prospect in senior Terence Morris.

Dixon, who averaged 18.4 points per game and was an Honorable ention All-American, can hit the three seemingly at will and can score inside exceptionally well considering his light, lean frame. He stands 6-foot-3, but weighs only 152 pounds, so the Hoyas may be able to keep him in check if the game grows into a physical contest.

It will be up to the Hoya guards to contain Dixon on the perimeter, a task that will be left primarily to sophomore Demetrius Hunter and junior Kevin Braswell, who happens to be Dixon’s best friend. Dixon lived with Braswell and his family when Dixon’s mother died, and the two have grown very close, playing street ball in Baltimore whenever possible.

The two will have to leave those easygoing games of one-on-one for another time.

To keep Dixon from scoring in the paint are Georgetown’s 7-foot senior center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, 6-foot-11 sophomore center Wesley Wilson and 6-foot-8 freshman forward Mike Sweetney, who must alter Dixon’s shots to keep him from establishing the inside game to complement his deep threat.

In 102 career games, Dixon has never fouled out.

Georgetown’s big men will also have to contain Baxter, who leads the Terps with a .582 shooting percentage, and Morris, who has often been criticized for playing soft.

Baxter was second behind Dixon in scoring during the regular season, but is prone to foul trouble against forceful post players. If the Hoyas can establish a physical presence down low, then they can neutralize the 250-pound forward.

Morris took his game to another level by averaging 16 points, 10 rebounds and nearly three blocks in the ACC Tournament, but scored only 14 and 4 points respectively in Maryland’s two victories over No. 14 George Mason and No. 11 Georgia State.

For Maryland to advance past the regional semifinal for the first time under head coach Gary Williams, Morris will have to rediscover the fire and passion that he used to spur the Terps to their late season run that earned them a No. 3 seed in the West.

Maryland’s half court offense is its strength. Led by Blake, whose seven assists per game ranked him seventh in the nation during the regular season, the complicated set plays cause numerous match-up problems for opponents.

On the other side of the ball, Braswell must continue to play with the poise and leadership that paced Georgetown to late-season wins over Syracuse and Notre Dame, wins that secured a tournament berth for the Hoyas.

Braswell averaged 13.5 points and five assists in the Hoyas’ two early-round victories, but must stay out of foul trouble for Georgetown to have a chance. Against Arkansas he picked up his third foul with 11 minutes left in the game. Without Braswell on the floor, the Hoyas will be neck high in Terp trouble.

Braswell has run the point with a maturity and control not seen in his first two seasons on the Hilltop. He has the explosiveness to score when needed, but is most valuable when dishing the ball on the transition or feeding the post.

Georgetown must establish the paint as its home and continue to rebound at a furious clip. The Hoyas were third in the country during the regular season in rebounding margin, grabbing 9.3 more boards per game than their opponents. They beat Arkansas based on their 28-12 second-half rebound advantage and crushed Hampton in no small part to a 49-25 demolition on the boards.

In addition to rebounding, the Hoyas must continue to benefit from their considerable size advantage by hitting layups and short jumpers around the blocks. Sweetney must continue his fabulous play inside and Boumtje-Boumtje must work to get open shots within six feet of the basket.

If they stay out of foul trouble, the Georgetown monsters have a chance to determine the outcome of the most significant game for the Hoyas since that loss to the Minutemen five years ago.

The other key to the game for the Hoyas will be bench play. Georgetown Head Coach Craig Esherick substitutes at an exorbitant rate, but that strategy could pay off if the Hoyas get the same tough defense and senior leadership out of Anthony Perry, Nat Burton and Lee Scruggs.

Perry proved against the Razorbacks that he can lead the team if Braswell must exit the game, while Burton has excelled with the Arkansas game-winner and a 12-point effort off the bench versus Hampton. Scruggs, meanwhile, adds even more height to an already giant front court and can get hot from three-point range to spark the team if necessary.

Under the leadership of third-year coach Craig Esherick, the Hoyas are primed to pull off one of the most considerable upsets in Georgetown history. If they play within their abilities and hit their shots, the Hoyas can dethrone the Terps as the D.C. area’s premier basketball team.

Only they must do it 3,000 miles away in a game where only the winner gets to play again.